When Stuck In A Corner.







Xander stomped around his office, hands in his hair, pouty look on his face.  Most of the group was over to use the pool since it was barely warm enough to swim today and it was probably the last chance they'd have for a cookout until the middle of spring.  John was working the grill with Rick.  Martha, Alexis, and Tara were doing the rest of the kitcheny stuff.  Though that wasn't why Xander was having an angst attack.  Peter was staring at him.  "Rick wrote me into a corner."

"For?" he asked.

"That shared series?  He wrote me into a corner where I have to write the sex scene."  He frowned.  "I know nothing about how usual women have sex."  Peter gave him a pointed look.  "It's been a while, all the girls I dated were multi-orgasmic or at least not begging for mercy until the third hour, and if I write it like I would have sex it's going to get really raunchy."

Rick leaned in with a smirk.  "Problems?"

"That depends, do you want me to make you look like you like being on your knees?" he shot back.

Rick cackled.  "There's a time and place for it."

"I can only write how I've had sex with women and I doubt the person the character's based on will be like them."

"Ask Mother then."  He shrugged and walked off.

Xander walked out and looked at Tara.  "How do normal, non-bad girls have sex?"

Tara blushed, shrugging.  "I don't know how girls who like boy parts do it.  Why?" she squeaked.

"Rick wrote me into a corner so now I have to do the sex scene this time and I have no idea how non-bad girls have it."

"We're definitely less loud," she said dryly, cracking Peter up.  Kevin Ryan was snickering too.  "Ask him.  He has one."

"Who's making me sleep on the couch right now," Kevin shot back.  "She said I was being an asshole the other night."

"Bro, can't you fix that?" Javier Esposito asked.  "Before you get that alarming neck cramp that nearly made you eat someone last year?  Your couch is not comfortable."

"I'm on hers."

"That's smooshy and even worse," he assured him.  "What did you do?"

"Nothing mushy enough apparently."  He sipped his water.  "I don't know, Xander.  Make them less slutty, less loud, and make them not get on top as much as some of yours liked to?"  Xander leaned over to hiss in his ear.  "Oh!"  He nodded.  "Well...."  He and Esposito shared a look.  "It's for *that* series."

Javier winced.  "She's going to skin you alive."

"Which is probably why he left it to me."  He got a bottle of soda and walked outside.  "Beckett, I'm due to write the sex scene in the new detective and baby series," he called as he walked up the stairs.  John groaned.  So did Sam and Dean.

She looked at him.  "I'm nowhere near as kinky as any of your former women, Xander.  Remember that."  She glared at Rick, who grinned back.  "Woosed out?"

"No, I want to see what he can do since the smutty fantasy series got him sent chocolates by some of his fanclub."

Xander nodded.  "They did like that."  He sipped his soda.  "By publishing rules I can't put in any whips, chains, more than the basics of light bondage, or anything else that kinky but I'm *really* sorry in advance."

She awkwardly patted him on the arm.  "Make it less than smutty.  Castle can put one in later."

"Sure, I can try that."  He stretched up then took off his t-shirt so he could dive in.

"No!" Olivia ordered, scowling at him, hands on her hips.  "No jumpy!  Get hurt!  I have to fuss!"

"I won't get hurt," he promised.  "Why aren't you in your swimsuit?"

"She refuses to go to the bathroom first," Sam said.

"Go potty so you can jump in with me."  She huffed but ran to do that.  He rolled his eyes.  They'd get Olivia potty trained sometime this decade.  Hopefully before she started school.  Even if he had to write words on her underwear so she'd sit in there and read them.  Maybe that was the way to go, put her books in there so she had some reading time without adult supervision?  He looked at Rick, who shrugged.  "What if we teach her the fine art of bathroom reading?"

"That might be the only way she'll learn to like the bathroom and potty," Rick agreed, shaking his head slightly.  "I'll have Mother tell her about that later."  He stripped off his shirt and sat down on a lounger.  Olivia came out wearing her favorite swimsuit.  Rick smiled.  "It looks like you'll have to get a bigger one for when we can swim this spring."

She smiled.  "Pretty?"

"Very pretty."  He patted her on the head.  "Go ahead and pounce him."  She cackled evilly - like her new uncle Mickey had taught her to do - and took a running pounce at her uncle.  He caught her, tickling her.  She swam away from him, spitting back at him.

Dean climbed in and helped her.  They needed at least two of them in the pool to guard her.  "Swim to me, 'Liv." 

She swam around him and then over to the side to pout at the aunties talking about silly stuff that didn't make anyone pretty.  Who cared about shoes?  Beckett laughed and brought Lanie with her to jump in.  That made Olivia happy and she looked at their swimsuits.  "Very pretty."  She smiled.  "You need bigger boobies though," she told Lanie.  "Missy said her boyfriend hated small ones."  She swam off.

Lanie shook her head and Xander groaned.  "My boyfriend likes them, Olivia.  Don't worry about it."

"They make pretty things for that.  The tv say so," she told her.

"I know.  I've seen them.  Some day we'll help you pick some out."  Olivia grinned and pouted at Sam until he joined them.

"If I had known New York women were so built, I'd have moved here years ago," Dean teased with a smirk for the ladies.  Beckett punched him on the arm.  "If you had a younger sister that was more interested in playing than keeping, I'd be on them in a heartbeat, ladies."  Lanie laughed and punched him on the arm too.

"I'd have to remind her that keeping you tied down would be mean," Beckett taunted back with an evil smirk of her own.

"Maybe," he agreed.  "Though some girls do seem to like the tying down stuff sometimes."  He shrugged.  "I go with whatever they want most of the time.  It makes them happy and get off more often."  Both women swatted him.  "That way they invite me back for more than a look at their drawings."

"Etchings," Lanie, Beckett, and Rick all said together.

"Whatever.  They're still drawings," Dean shot back.  He smirked.  "I did get offered some time to help one nice young thing get some art practice in."

"Tell Meredith I said hi," Xander quipped with a wave at him.  "And that I'm happy now."

"Figures," Dean complained.  "Is she sane?"

"Ish," Xander offered with a grin.  "She is very good at drawing though.  The painting above the tv was done by her."

"Then I guess I can still be her body model as long as she's not going to turn into a stalker or something," Dean sighed, shaking his head.

"Is good I am sane and not the jealous sort," Peter teased from the edge of the pool.

Xander grinned at him.  "It is, even though there's not that many left."

"Outside of jail," Beckett quipped.

Peter pulled off his shirt and stared at his husband, who was staring back but not at his eyes.  Apparently his abs looked very nice today with the way Xander was staring.  He dove in and swam over next to Olivia to pick her up and cuddle her.  "You should go entice Rick to come in."

She looked around.  "Rick!  Come be pretty!" she yelled.  The others all laughed.

"I'm having a lot of fun admiring the prettiness you all have," he said from his seat.  Beckett rolled her eyes but splashed him.  He took off his sunglasses and shirt, plus sandals, then dove in.  He swam over to Olivia and took her to tickle.  She kicked him and swam away with a cackle.  She hid behind Dean, peaking out at them.  Rick smirked at her.  "Go potty.  You can be in there with a book for ten minutes as long as you're on the potty."  She squealed and swam for the edge, running inside.

"That may be the only way," John agreed from behind the grill.   "Tara, give her ten minutes of reading time," he called down the stairs.

"I can do that."  She carried up a tray of veggies.  Then she went back down to change and check on Olivia.  By the time she was redressed, it was time for Olivia to finish up.  "If you go potty, I'll bring a new book home for you tomorrow to keep in here."  Olivia suddenly had to go pee.  It was a beautiful thing.  She helped clean her up and they went up to the pool again.  Alexis was wearing a modest two-piece suit.  Tara had her own version of it and Martha had on a one-piece that made her look nice plus a hair cover.  Olivia ran into the pool and came up spluttering but swam off to bother Dean.

Xander shook his head, lounging against the side of the pool in a pose that was getting appreciative looks from Peter.  "I found the most disturbing fashion the last time I went with her," he told Tara.  She looked at him.  "I saw tiny, padded, push up bra looking swimsuits for kids about seven or eight."

"That's gross," she complained.

"She was looking at the padded training bras too.  Complete with underwire."  They shared a look.

"I'd never let her wear one of those," Tara said.  "Or a padded one.  She won't need it."  She took Olivia to cuddle and then released her to go tease Rick and Beckett into playing with her and Alexis.  The others watched, lounged, and got comfortable.   Eventually they got out to eat and Olivia to read while eating.  She had stolen Rick's ebook reader to read.  The others let her because it made her happy and smarter.  Plus Rick wouldn't let her have anything too adult.

***

A few days later, Xander walked up to the station and inside, going upstairs.  He dropped a manila envelope on Beckett's desk.  "I warned Paula I had no idea how to write a subtle sex scene within the publishing guidelines.  I put a note on the top of the manuscript.  She said you have to edit it because I have no idea what real women are like and she thinks you'd want to read it anyway."  He put his hands in his pocket.  "It has to be non-graphic, and be subtle but live up to Rick's standards without being trashy, which apparently was my problem.  Paula was sweating when she gave it to me."  He shrugged slightly and grinned.  "So can you proofread and give me suggestions?"

"Sure, Xander.  Just the one?"

"No, there's three total.  One's a thank god you survived, one's a sudden thing that they later deny, and one's a ruse."  He shrugged again and grinned.  "Thanks, Beckett."  He hurried off before she changed her mind.

She opened it to look at the note on the top.  Paula had written out the guidelines for her. That was helpful.  "Nothing too graphic, nothing above a soft R rating, please pare it back so 'come' is spelled with an 'o'," she read, shaking her head.  She pulled up the first of the paperclipped sections.

"There's three?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah.  I'm not sure why the 'thank god you survived' one happens yet.  One of them included the lead up to it too."  She kept glancing over it.  Yeah, it was going to make her sweaty too.  "Did he write it for Penthouse?" she complained.

"He probably expected her to pare it down again," Javier said with a smile.  "It good?"

"Some but this is you and Lanie."  He groaned.  "Why aren't you in this, Ryan?"

Kevin smirked.  "I asked not to be.  Instead I'm one of the warrior mages in the new series."

She shook her head.  "I don't want to know."  She went back to reading.  Yeah, he had to cut that down a lot.  She had seen less explicit pornos.  Especially with the groping going on.  The guys rolled their chairs over to read over her arms.

"I wish I had young guy stamina that way," Javier joked.

"Especially since it's a ten page sex scene, bro," Kevin joked back.

"I don't think they're being too realistic about things being sent to the station," she complained.  They took it to look over.  Kevin texted Xander, who sent one back.  He looked up that story.  He showed her.  She groaned.  It had happened in LA.  "Okay," she decided, bundling it back up.  "I'll go over that after work."

"If you need help, let me know since I'm still on the couch.  Even though I tried to be mushy and sweet," Kevin said.

Beckett looked at him.  "Mood swings starting early?" she guessed.

"Hell no!" he snorted, giving her a dirty look.  "I'd have to take a few days to have some snipping reversed for that, Beckett."

She smirked.  "Good to know."  He grinned back.  "What did you forget?"

"I have no idea and she won't tell me."

"She was talking to Tara during the pool party," Javier said.

Kevin texted her and groaned.  "She heard those rumors."  Esposito groaned and shook his head too.  "I'll get that straightened out later now that I know why she's giving me dirty looks."  He put his phone back up.

"She'll learn that most partners don't sleep together soon enough," Beckett said.  It figured, it really did.

***

Beckett went to Rick Castle's house that Sunday, hitting him with the same envelope.  "I helped Xander tone it down.  Because I don't think some of that is possible and Paula said even if it was it was too graphic."  She walked off blushing.

He opened it and went to his office to read it.  The foreplay was nice.  Beckett's suggestions were good ones.  Then it devolved into very blunt force oral sex description.  She had crossed it out and put a note to the side to condense it since most good girls don't usually get three hours of oral sex.  Which was giving Rick thoughts he should be hiding in his room with. Inside was a CD so he pulled it out and went over the sex scenes.  The lead ups were good.  He did tone it down some, and take out two and a half hours of oral sex, but he left a lot of the structure alone.  It was still mostly blunt but more vague. 

Though he did doubt that Beckett's character had a labia piercing.  The thought was making his insides wobbly and clench.  He couldn't see her doing that.  Maybe a hoodie piercing on a dare in college.....  He got up and took the sex scenes upstairs to have that thought in private.  Before his daughter caught him having dirty thoughts while writing.  He'd never hear the end of it.  His mother would only give him a pointed hint that perhaps he should act on it instead of hiding in his room but he didn't need that either at the moment.

He laid down on his bed, going over the scene for Javier and Lanie's characters.  The lead up was a good attack he had written in.  Xander had preserved it and added some details he would need to tone down so no one could replicate it.  Them having a 'thank god you survived' moment in the elevator and showers was a good read.  He could definitely see Javier going hyper protective and touchy over her if it had happened.  She would be the reasonable one and steer them out of the elevator, like Xander had written. 

Rick would have to move it to a storage room at the end of the changing area bathrooms.  That was too open.  Javier would be hyper protective and want them out of the way of anyone getting near her.  He could see him checking her by running his hands over her arms and legs, then kissing her and checking her stomach and chest.  Which would then turn into comfort/you're alive sex.  Maybe on top of some boxes in there?  Her pulling over a spare towel to bite on so no one heard them.  Then he did the classy thing and turned them around so she was planted on his lap and he could hold her.  Which was touching and nice of him to do. 

He put it aside and moved to the next one.  It was them in the ruse to catch whoever had sent that drug bomb to the station.  Xander had totally changed her outfit on him.  Now, instead of the outfit he had picked out that was subtly enticing, she was in a strapless knit dress that ended mid-thigh and her usual heels.  Her hair was pushed back with a comb to keep it off her face and her ears.  It left her neck open and a good target for some teasing.  Since they were in a club, Rick was having to get close to be heard.  He was taking the time to nuzzle her throat - all for the cover of them being together - and sneak in little nipping bites to her lower throat area.

Xander had them going with the music, the bass beat driving their hip thrusts through the clothes.  It was hot how they were dry humping to the music.  Then they were interrupted by the bad guy trying to leave the club.  Xander had written it fairly realistically that it was hard to run with a hard-on.  He moved to the other one.  It was graphic but good.  He had went to her to check on her, because she had a really horrible day at the station.

He knocked and got let in.  She's wearing some ratty sweats with sweaty hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail.  All his character could see was the sweat making her skin shiny and probably tasty.  He finally leaned in to lick off a bead of sweat.  She flinched and started to move but he held her and kiss her for real, their first real kiss.  She starts to pull away but he pulls her back in, being a bit pushy.  She finally gives in during the kiss and lets him pull down her hair.  He wound a hand into it and pulled her in for another kiss.  It got heavier from there, with her making the decision that standing in her living room was going to cause problems for them.  She led him to her bed.  He was shivering. 

She was being subtly dominant but letting him make a lot of the moves too.  It was well balanced.  It was hot how she was stripping them both off.  He wasn't the sort to lay there and take it but it was looking like fun.  He finally took charge and ... well, Xander's love of oral sex had come back.  He could imagine holding her legs up so she couldn't strangle him as she got...happy.  It was definitely a happy thought for him.  He let it warp to what he'd usually be doing. 

He wasn't one of those guys that liked to prove he was a sexual olympian by using every single position he knew, but it was always good for whoever he was with.  She was squealing and squeaking at him when he finally gave up on teasing her with his tongue and moved up slowly, lapping and kissing up her stomach and chest.  He paused to play with her breasts but then kissed her for real as he slowly slid inside her.  She ordered him into a condom, which he didn't mind.  She even helped him put it on.  Then he pounced.

She moaned against his mouth. He pulled one of her legs up over his butt and teased her for now.  He needed to work her back up to the insanity point that would let him do something very simple yet very effective.  She finally got very close and one of the hands he was using to stroke her moved down to touch her clit.  She muttered a swear and arched up.  He thrust in harder and deeper.  She came and he followed because that twitching was one of his favorite feelings in life.  She panted.  He nuzzled her throat and chin with his chin, putting little kisses along her shoulderblade.  She went limp with a moan.  So did he in reality.

He would ignore that Xander had written that she kicked him out soon afterwards by saying it was a mistake.  Beckett might but he was sure it'd be fine in a later book.

He hoped.

***

Rick walked up to Xander after he got done with the edits, staring at him.  "Why did you change the end?"

"Because that way people can imagine why she was there in a trenchcoat, what she was wearing underneath, and if there was some apologizing or just a talk."  He grinned.

"Thanks."  He patted him on the head.  "It was a good ending and left it a great cliffhanger."  He got his own fruit from the groups in front of them.  He and Xander finished grocery shopping.  "Any luck with Olivia's potty training?"

"She'll sit in there, naked on the potty, and read.  She'll use it sometimes without realizing it.  So now it's 'you go and get ten minutes'.  It's helping some."

"She'll eventually get to the point where she hates being changed."

"She already does.  She'd love to never wear another diaper but it keeps escaping her notice that she needs to pee.  Even on a schedule."

Rick shrugged.  "Ask the doctor?"

"I have.  She said the same thing and talked to Olivia.  She decided the schedule would help."  He grimaced, looking around.  He nodded at someone.  "Got any good suggestions for Olivia and potty training?"

"Not a one, Alexian."  The reporter smiled.  "Was this a planned meeting?"

"I was helping Rick with a scene earlier and he showed up to say thank you and ask why I had added something."  Xander grinned.

"Aww, that's so sweet."  She walked off.  She had spotted Peter.

Mickey looked at her when she walked closer.  "Yes?"

"Peter, when is your second book coming out?"

He stared at her for a minute.  "I'm his nephew, Mickey."

"Oh.  Sorry."

"But I know he's writing the tenth chapter this week.  He was frustrated at a secondary character he really wanted to kill off."

She smiled.  "That's good to know.  Thank you."  She winked and walked off.  She could flirt with that one.  He was clearly as good as Peter was and hopefully straight.  She'd love to have a guy like Peter between her thighs.  He looked very...exciting.

Mickey shook his head quickly, heading to check out and ran into Rick and Xander.  "She's flirting with Uncle Peter?"

"No, because she knows I'd kill whoever drugged him so he cheated."

Mickey smiled.  "That's good to know.  My mother wanted you guys over next week sometime?"

"Sure," he said with a shrug.  "Ask Peter.  I can always talk Olivia into dressing up."

"I'll have her call."  He walked around them and checked out, heading back to his apartment.

Rick and Xander shrugged at each other and checked out, heading home too.  It was more than time for some distraction work for Xander.  His current novel was stuck in a really awkward spot.  Peter was napping so he put things up and texted Kevin Ryan to see if he needed help with his fiancee.  He needed suggestions so Xander said to meet him at his place later.  They could set up something nice to make Jenny see Kevin was more into her than his partner.

Xander went candle shopping because he knew women liked candles during sex.  Even Buffy had.

***

Kevin opened the door and took some of the bags from Xander's hands.  They moved into the bedroom, Kevin remaking the bed, Xander putting 'mood lighting' around the room.  Including warming some scented candles that smelled good and musky.  Kevin grinned, going to look in his closet.

"Shirt and pants, unbuttoned.  No belt to get in the way.  Bare feet unless they're gross," Xander told him quietly.

Kevin grinned.  "Thanks, Xander."

"Not a problem. I haven't had a chance to use these ideas except in a story and I can't write smut in my genre."  He grinned and stepped back.  He lit one of the candles since he could hear someone coming up the hallway.  He winked and climbed out the window and down the fire escape.

Kevin finished lighting things, laying down when Jenny opened the apartment door.  He put one hand behind his head and the other was undoing the top few buttons on his shirt.  She walked in and paused, staring at him.  He grinned.  "I'm told that you got some bad intel," he said quietly.  "And that I clearly needed to prove that I'm het and only into you."

She looked around then at him.  "Did Rick Castle help you?"

He grinned.  "Xander.  He was warped a lot by the women in his life."  He sat up and motioned her closer.  "You look uncomfortable in that dress."  She blushed but shook her head.  He got up and helped her out of it, tossing it into the wash basket in the closet.  That left her in her slip, pantyhose, shoes, and underwear.  He slowly moved the slip up her body while he kissed her, then pulled it off and tossed it into the basket too when she caught her breath.  He walked her back to the bed, taking her shoes off and tossing them aside.  He stripped down to his underwear then laid down to kiss and grope her.  She moaned and let him.  She was going to let him do whatever he wanted to prove he was into women.

***

Esposito answered his phone the next morning.  It was seven, there was a body scene.  His other partner wasn't there yet.  "Bro, are you MIA?" he asked dryly.  Beckett looked over.  "You did what?"  He nodded once.  "Okay.  And you're missing why?"  He winced.  "So I take it you're off the couch?"  He grinned at Beckett.  "Good to know.  Tomorrow?  Yeah, I'd have fun with the chiropractor."  He hung up.  "He was proving his heterosexual nature to her," he said dryly.

Beckett smirked.  "Wonderful.  Threw out his back?"

"Putting out the bra that he accidentally lit on fire on a candle Xander helped him set up.  But she babied him all night and she had to call off work because she couldn't sit."  She snickered, shaking her head.  "Literally.  I heard her moaning in the background while trying to sit.  She was complaining that he had taken his vitamins."

"That's sweet in a way.  He'd better get a doctor's excuse."

"He's got a chiropractor appointment at ten and said he'd try to be in this afternoon.  Jenny said he was because she needed a long, hot bath to soak her own sore spots."  He walked off shaking his head.

"Was there a lot of damage from the candle?" she asked.

"No, just her bra.  He was apparently tossing it aside and it hit a candle.  It was polyester so it went up.  He told her he'd buy her a few new ones when she complained it had been comfortable."

She nodded once.  "I'd do the same thing."  She got back to work.  Sometimes young love was too cute and made her stomach flip over.  Rick Castle walked onto the scene and handed her a cup of coffee.  "Thanks, Castle."

"Welcome."  He looked around.  "Did Ryan get injured?"

"Slightly."

"Awww.  Xander was worried she might not like the candles."

"No, she liked them until one burned her bra."

"Oops."  He shrugged.  "I'm sure Xander would volunteer Tara and Olivia to help her find something pretty."  She smacked him on the arm.  He smirked and went to help look for clues.

Beckett shook her head.  Castle was in strange mental territory again.  It was almost as stomach flipping as young love.

***

Paula walked up to Beckett that afternoon.  "Couldn't you make him tone it down any more than that?"

"I gave them suggestions and gave it back to Castle," she said, looking confused.  "Did he make it worse?"

"Yes."  She let her see it.  Beckett started to blush.  "It's definitely not Xander's idea of what happened."

Beckett handed it back almost delicately.  "Tell your authors to quit having smutty minds.  One's married."

"Peter read it and pounced Xander.  No hope there."  She huffed but walked off to find Rick.  She could hear him somewhere on the floor.  "Rick!"  He looked over from talking to another officer.  "I said to tone it down, not make it more smutty."  She handed him the papers.  "You can't get that published in that format."  She huffed off.

Rick looked it over and shrugged, folding it up to hold closed.  "I'll work on it later."  The officer was giving him a look.  "Sex scene."

"Oh.  I guess that would have to happen."  He walked off shaking his head.

Rick went back to Beckett's desk.  She stared at him.  "What?"

"That wasn't what Xander wrote," she said quietly.

"Each man has his own needs, wants, and likes," he quipped with an evil grin.  "I have no idea why Xander likes giving oral sex for three hours."

She shuddered.  "That's much too long.  Maybe that's why they were all evil."  She shook her head quickly.  "How are you going to tone that down?"

"Cut a page of groping probably."  He sat down with one of his pens to work over the scene.  Though it was still making him way too warm.  Even with Beckett watching.  Maybe especially because she was watching.  That led to areas she wouldn't let him explore.

The minions walked in and paused.  "Did Paula tell you to make me cut down the smut too?" he joked.

"Yup," Ryan said with a smirk.  "We read the original."

"Damn," Esposito agreed.  "No wonder Xander's women went evil."

Rick snickered but nodded.  "I changed it to more normal, less evil making smut but she said it's still too much."  They shook their heads on their way to their desks.

Beckett shook her head too.  "I'm pretty sure it's only Xander that can turn women evil, Castle."

"Thankfully Peter's over his evil phase," he quipped back.

"Hopefully."  She handed him something to work on and got into her own paperwork.  She hated paperwork but it'd keep her late that night and she might have a date.

***

Olivia decided she wanted to be sneaky.  She had to help the unclies who weren't feeling very pretty or happy.  One had to wear the pretty dress in a few weeks and he was about to pounce a wall in frustration or something silly like that.  That's what her uncle had said but she didn't understand it yet.  So she had to do something nice.  She only had to figure out what.  She knew what calmed her down but even making him read to her hadn't calmed him down too much. 

So instead she'd have to find another way.  Her Auntie had said they were making muffins for them so she could deliver it then.  Now if only she knew what sort of toys made you happier.  She doubted he liked blocks like she did.  Or even the big building ones that her uncle gave her.  Or her nerf gun that Grandpa had gotten her.  Though it was a fun toy.  She looked at her auntie.  "We give Uncklie Kevin nerf gun?" she asked.

Tara smiled and shook her head.  "I don't think a nerf crossbow will help him calm down.  It's normal to be nervous.  Getting married is a huge thing and almost everyone gets nervous."  She stroked over Olivia's messy hair.  It was windy outside and they had been preparing the plants for winter.

"He needs to calm down."

"He will once the wedding's done with.  Most people do."

Olivia snorted.  "Needs to calm down first."  She went to look at her toys.  Nothing in there was something one of the boys at daycare would play with so she doubted Uncklie Kevin would like them.  Her Uncle Peter and Uncle Xander were napping like silly, big kids because Uncle Peter had the sniffles and Uncle Xander was spoiling him, which was a good thing since it'd mean Olivia could fuss over others who needed it.  He had taught her so he had a good level of it.  She considered it.  Her uncle had toys.  She had no idea where.  She snuck into their room. 

Peter lifted his head to look at her.  "Looking for lost toys," she said with a grin.  He pointed at the closet.  She went to look.  No, more Olivia toys, not Uncle Xander toys.  She carried them back to her room.  The next time she came to play with Uncle Xander on the bed she'd probably want something else anyway.  Uncle Peter went to the bathroom so she snuck in to look at other things.  There were strange things in their bedside table that held the puzzle books.  She took one of those because it might help.  Underneath were a lot of strange looking things. 

She heard Peter flush and grabbed two, hiding them under her shirt before closing the drawer and hurrying back to her room.  She packed her backpack for daycare with that and a few other toys that her new auntie might like.  She was a girl so she'd like dollies probably.  She went down to help Tara finish her baking of muffins.  Muffins were great and would make everyone feel better.

Tara looked at the backpack then at her.  "Books?"

"Yup."  She grinned.  Tara gave her a hug and they finished filling the last muffin tray.  The others were cooling down.  Tara gave her one to nibble on.  They were nice spicy pumpkin ones and had some frosting thingy on top that made it even better.

"Finish up and go change," Tara said when she pulled out the last tray.  "You have twenty minutes to get pretty."

Olivia snorted.  "Not need that long."  She finished her muffin on her way up to her room and bathroom.  Her hair was a mess.  That would take longer than finding something pretty to wear.  It always did when she had tangles.  Peter walked in to help her when she started to make frustrated sounds.  "Down please," she said with a grin for him.

"If you wish."  He gave her a hug and got the dress she wanted down for her.  He went to steal a muffin for him and Xander, then went back to bed.  This was clearly a girl event.

***

Tara walked Olivia into the station with a smile.  "We're cheering up the detectives."  The desk sergeant let them sign in and head upstairs.  They came off the elevator with a smile.  "Someone is stressed out," she teased, kissing him on the head like she would a brother or Xander.

"Thanks, Tara."  He took the muffin box and looked in, taking a deep sniff.  "Oooh, those pumpkin ones you made.  Thanks."  He beamed at her.  She smiled back.

Olivia handed him her backpack with a wink.  "Books to help you feel happier."  She beamed at Beckett, taking her and Uncle Rick muffins.  "Auntie made muffins."

"You and she make very good muffins," Beckett praised, smiling at her. 

Olivia bounded over to feed the captain and then Esposito.  The only other detective currently on the floor got one too.  "Not know you yet but you need happies too.  That way you feel pretty."  She smiled and bounded off to pounce her uncle.  "When you wear the pretty dress?"

"Only Jenny's wearing the pretty dress," he assured her.  "After the wedding I'll give Uncle Javier my scary research cabinet since I won't need it."  She giggled and hugged him then handed him her backpack before dancing off.

"She decided you guys were too stressed out."  Tara pushed her hair back.  "Don't go far, Olivia, and no petting the working doggy."

"I not.  Talking to him."

She shook her head.  "Let me save the dog.  We're going to check on her cousin and then hit the park for a pony ride."  She left, saving the poor dog from Olivia before she started to read to him too.

"She left her backpack?" Beckett asked.

"She said it was books to make me calmer.  She talked me into reading to her the other day because she said it'd make me calmer."  He looked inside and blushed, doing it back up.  "I don't think those are all books."  He texted Tara.  It took a minute but Tara texted back.  "She decided I needed some toys to make me happier and her toys wouldn't work.  She left the two dolls for Jenny to play with, gave me one of Xander's word search books, and two of his toys to keep me calm."

"It's not even your bachelor party, bro," Javier cackled, shaking his head.

"I'm not sure if I should be shocked or not," Rick said, considering it.  "Alexis once gave one of my Playboys to a teacher because she needed happier reading and I was happier and giggling at some of the comics in it."

Beckett stuffed her mouth with some of the muffin before she said anything.

"I'll give them back to Xander later, on the way to dinner," Kevin said, tucking the backpack into his desk drawer.  His fiancee texted him so he told her why Tara had apologized.  "Jenny said that's very cute of Olivia, and she probably thought he had normal boy toys instead of girl toys."

"I'd call those normal gay guy toys," Rick agreed.  "I'm sensing that Olivia's going to be grounded tomorrow though."  The others all nodded.

Olivia did bring life to their boring lives at times.  Sometimes a bit too much like her uncle did though.

***

Peter and Xander both flinched awake when his phone rang.  "What?" Xander answered.  He listened then flipped over to look in his drawer.  "He has the naughty word search book too, Tara.  Um....  I can get them from him.  No, she's grounded.  A lot.  Thanks."  He hung up and groaned, laying back.  "When did Olivia sneak into the drawer?"

"She was in here looking for her lost toys when I got up to go to the bathroom and secure the muffins."

Xander looked at him.  "She got into the toy drawer too."  Peter winced.  "She decided Kevin Ryan needed some toys to calm him down and those were the only boy toys she knew about apparently."  Peter burst out cackling.  "Gave two of her dolls to Jenny to help her calm down too."  He covered his head with a pillow.  "I clearly need a lock on that drawer."

"At least it was an innocent offer," he said.

"I know."

Peter moved the pillow and kissed him.  "Her warping is not your fault."

Xander grinned.  "Are you sure?"

"Quite.  She is not fandom geek."  Xander smiled and took another kiss.  "I should make Mickey talk to her about that because he is being a whiny pain again."

"His boss not flipping him over enough?"

"No clue," he admitted.  He found his phone and sent that to his nephew.  Olivia and Tara both needed guarded some of the time.  Just in case someone tried something.  Then he made his flu feel better by pouncing his husband.  Having the house to themselves was a great thing.

***

Mickey walked up to Tara, handing her a bottle of water for each of them.  "What happened?  Uncle Peter said to come watch you guys."

Tara shrugged.  "I haven't felt a threat yet.  I've been nagging Olivia about stealing from her uncle's toy drawer though."

Mickey looked at the girl.  "What did you do?"

"Uncklie Kevin needed to be happier.  He was upset and frustrated, Uncle Xander said so.  So I gave him boy toys.  He wouldn't like my girl toys, but I did leave two for Auntie Jenny to play with.  That way they're happy.  Now Auntie Tara is mean."  She pouted at her aunt.

"Keep it up and we're going home now."

Mickey shook his head.  "*Toys*?"  Tara blushed but nodded.  "Olivia, boys like Uncle Kevin would like things like building blocks.  Like legos."

"Nah-uh!"  She shook her head quickly.  "The boys at daycare don't.  So I gave him toys like Uncle Xander likes since he's a boy too."  She smiled.  "I'm being good!"

"You tried awfully hard," Mickey assured her.  She pouted at him.  "Next time, give him legos."

"Fine."  She stamped a foot.  "Still not grounded."

"Bet me," Tara told her.

"But!" Olivia whined.  Tara stared at her and she huffed, running off.  "You're mean!"

"Get back here," she called.  Mickey managed to catch her and bring her back.  "You do not run from whatever adult you're with, Olivia Marie Rosenburg," she said firmly.  "That is very bad."  Olvivia sniffled and pouted at the ground.  "C'mon, we're going home."

"But ponies!" she wailed and pointed.  "You promised!"

"That was before you were bad," Tara said.

"It's probably the last few days of them," Mickey said quietly.

Tara looked at him.  "That makes it a reward."

"So we'll punish her by making her give a quarter of her books to a kid's shelter."

Tara smiled.  "Olivia, if you have ponies, you have to sort out your books and toys to give to children who don't have any."

"All of them?" she asked, looking miserable.

"At least two bags worth.  That or ponies."

Olivia pouted.  That wasn't fair!  Uncle Mickey didn't give her any hope either.  She considered it.  "I get new library books?"

"Next week."

"Favorites?"

"That's up to you.  Twenty books and six toys."

"Ponies," she sighed.  She could do that.  She had hundreds of books and toys.  Tara took her to the pony ride.  She enjoyed it and Uncle Mickey gave her another one.  Then they went home to sort out her toys and books.  Tara made sure the library books didn't go into that pile.  The toys were easy enough.  She had spare dolls that were twins of ones she already had.  Plus a lot of baby books that she didn't need because she was a big girl.  One kept being put back.  "They need.  It's a baby book."

"It's on potty training and you need it more," Tara reminded her.  Olivia ran in to use the potty and get some reading time.  Most of her library books were in there.

Mickey shook his head with a smile.  "Some day it'll work."

"I hope."  She finished packing up the toys.  One got a sad look and put back on the bed.  "Xander got her that."  Olivia came out ten minutes later - Tara had put a timer in there to make sure she didn't spend all day in there - and pouted at the bear.  "Uncle Xander got that right after you were born."

"Aww," she said with a hug for it.  It stayed on the bed.  She let Tara take some of the blocks.  The books were hard enough to part with but she was okay to give them to kids who didn't have them or library cards.  Mickey drove them over to a family shelter.  Tara walked in with the bags and Olivia.  "The kids need toys to be happy," she told the worker staring at them.

She smiled.  "They could use some, yes."

"I'm too big for some of them."

"It was also a punishment but she knows that we give back to those who need it," Tara said, handing over the bags.  "Some books and toys."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Olivia said.  "Kids need to be happy when things are sad.  Sad babies cry a lot."  She hugged her aunt.  "Tell them to be pretty and happy."  They walked out together.  Maybe she'd have her uncles type something out to those people who liked her on the computer.  Those kids needed things to be happy.  Even if it was a punishment and she had to clean up her room before dinner.  As it turned out, Uncle Mickey knew how to let her talk to them.

"Nice job, princess," he said quietly.  She beamed and kissed him on the cheek.

"There's a few muffins left, Mickey.  I made them for Kevin because he's a bit bouncy and worried since his wedding's in two weeks."

"I wouldn't mind some muffins."  He took two with a wink for the ladies.  "I uploaded her thing to the twitter feed."

Tara rolled her eyes.  "It's good she's taking that in stride and not getting freaked out like I did."  He grinned.  "Thanks."

"You're welcome."  She gave him an extra muffin and went to check on Peter and Xander.  He left, going to Robert's apartment to see if anything was going on.  He was bored anyway.  He got let in.  "I spent part of the afternoon with Olivia and Tara."  He handed over a muffin.  "They made them for a detective that's getting married soon."

He sniffed.  "It smells wonderful."  He put it aside for after dinner.  "Anything good come of it?"

"Olivia got into Uncle Peter's toy stash."  Robert winced.  "She kindly gave them to the same detective so he'd have some fun and relax before his wedding.  She thought they were big boy toys."

"In many ways."  He sipped his tea.

"She's grounded and Tara agreed that making her donate some toys and books to a shelter would be good punishment.  Then she had me tape something for her twitter feed."

"Why does she have one of those?"

"Because some people think she's neat.  It's been up since the dress comment."  He got into it on his phone and let him see it.  Robert had to smile at the silliness of some of the comments.  The new one was getting a lot of comments. Mickey responded that he was her uncle and he had helped her sort things out as part of her punishment but she'd always donated to thrift shops before going shopping.  The mothers on there thought it was adorable and a good punishment.  Though she had said it was one because she had stolen her uncle's toys for one of his friends to feel happier. Mickey assured them she was grounded for that.  They liked that and it was considered a good thing.

"She's an adorable little girl," Robert said.  He handed the phone back, shaking his head.  Mickey got into the dress video, making him nearly cackle at it.  "I see why now."

Mickey grinned.  "The rest of the family loved that one.  I think Lorne Cash is the only one that hasn't seen it yet."  He sent that link to DC in an email and put up his phone.

***

In DC, Lorne got into his email, looking at the simple link.  "It can't be spam from that source."  He had just gotten back from a case from hell, which had been proceeded by two others and his partner nearly being brainwashed for good into an assassin.  He watched it and giggled.  "That's so adorable."  His bartender walked over to watch over his shoulder.  "That's Xander's niece Olivia."

"She's adorable.  I'm on her twitter feed."  He grinned as he went back to the bar.  The guys up there gave him a look.  "Xander Harris' niece Olivia's dress video.  Apparently he hadn't seen it."  They grinned.

"She put out another one today encouraging others to be punished by giving stuff to kids who needed things."

The bartender shook his head.  "It's a good punishment since she's a voracious reader."  He found it on his smartphone and watched it, grinning at it.  "I wonder what she did to get punished."

"Who knows," Lorne said.  "How do I find the rest of it so I can bookmark it?"  He got shown.  "Thanks.  Olivia's a sweetheart.  I showed up to talk to Shank about something and she scowled at me the whole time.  Told me she was there to protect her uncles so I couldn't make them less pretty."

"Why did you talk to Shank?" one of the guys asked.

"He and Xander Harris are together," the bartender said with a grin.  "I introduced them."

"Damn."  He blinked, looking at his fellow spies.  "Harris, the guy that fights the demons?"  Lorne nodded.  "Well, at least Shank's tough enough for him I guess.  I heard he dated psychos."  He shook his head, sipping his beer.

"Most of them killed each other," Lorne said with a smirk.  "There's a few left in jails but they don't want to piss Xander off.  Apparently he nearly killed a few with his teeth since one decided to take Olivia from daycare."

"He doesn't look like he'd leave Shank very much," that one agreed, saluting him with his cup before taking another drink.  "Are they serious?"

"City Hall serious."

The guys at the bar moaned and toasted Shank's insanity.  He had to be with a new husband who was a demon fighter and a new niece.

***

Beckett looked up that night from her paperwork of doom when someone walked into the squad room.  "Yes?" she asked.

"Detective Beckett, I'm the Mayor's secretary."

"Okay.  Is there a homicide there we have to handle quietly?"

"No."  She smiled.  "The Mayor wants to ask Olivia Rosenburg to help with his donation campaign for this holiday season and he knows you know her guardian."

"I do.  I can ask Xander."

"The same Xander Harris?"

"Yes."  She smiled.  "He and Tara have always made Olivia give back to thrift shops and things."

"That's wonderful!  Have him contact us this week?  The kick-off is in a month or so."

"I can do that."  The secretary left and she called Xander.  "Apparently I'm your helper this week," she said dryly.  "No, not another death threat.  The Mayor wants Olivia to help him with his charity campaign this year.  I don't know if she could or not.  I said I'd talk to you.  They'd like to talk to you this week.  Thanks, Xander."  She hung up and decided it was time to go home.

***

Kevin walked into his apartment and shut the door, leaning against it.  "Did you want to hear the silly Olivia story for real and in full?"

"I asked Tara.  I think it's sweet she was going to make you happier that way.  Even if she did think you needed big gay boy toys."

"None of them are that huge," he said dryly, handing her the bag.  "I couldn't get near Xander's house tonight.  Traffic's a bitch out that way."  He flopped down.  "I nearly didn't get here.  It took me two hours."  She kissed him.  He smiled and kissed her back.  "She did give you two dolls."

"She's a sweet and beautiful girl.  I hope our future daughters are like her, only a bit less mystical and wanting to be pretty."

"She'll definitely have to learn to get dirty," he agreed with a grin.  Jenny grinned and kissed him again.  That was a nice, calming dinner.  He could eat later on, when she was sleeping off the fantastic sex he was going to lay on her.

***

Olivia looked at the man who wanted to help her tell others to give their toys to kids who needed to be happy.  "I give my toys, you should give yours."  He gaped at her.  "I give my books and clothes too because other kids need them.  You should too."  She put her hands on her hips, staring at him.  "Even my lost mommy and daddy would like that."

"Your daddy definitely would," Xander agreed, stroking over her hair.  "You look a lot like your mommy with her resolve face too, dear."  Olivia grinned at him.  He smiled at the Mayor.  "I don't mind her helping but I don't want her to do publicity events.  I see nothing wrong with her donating to it once."

"I can accept that.  People like her."

"That's because she's wise and a smartass."

The mayor smiled.  "She appears very wise."  He looked at her.  "I can go through mine and my wife's closets later, dear."

She grinned.  "Good boy.  Now fix potholes?  I hate bouncy."  She walked out to suck up to the secretary.  "Do you have candy?" she asked with a shy grin.

"Olivia, you have a ton of candy at home," Xander called.  "No using your powers for evil candy manipulation."

"Sorry," she said, looking down.  "Just wanted a candy."  The secretary smiled and handed her a lollipop.  "Thank you!"  She hugged her and bounced back in there.

"How does she know about potholes?"

"With the fixes by her daycare, the road's a wreck," Xander said.  "She says it bounces her around in her carseat."  He unwrapped the lollipop.  "Did you say thank you?"  She nodded, sticking it into her mouth.  "Good girl.  Thank you, ma'am, and I'm sorry she begged."

"She's adorable.  I wish my daughter wanted to be pretty more often."

"She needs pretty dresses and nerf guns," Olivia said with a happy smile.  "That's how I do it.  And a brush."  She twirled around.  "Auntie takes me shopping in East Village."

"I'll have to see if she likes the stores there."  Olivia smiled at her and climbed up her uncle to sit on his lap.

"Tara's always took her to give her old stuff to thrift stores," Xander told her with a smile.  "It's important that she learns to give back."

"It's a great thing," the Mayor agreed.  He found an event.  "Here, we're kicking it off that day."

"We're going to be in Baltimore," Xander said, checking his calendar.  "Peter and I both.  Probably with her.  This one the week before Thanksgiving is doable though."  That got a nod and the Mayor noted it.  Xander grinned.  "By then she'll be in another growth spurt anyway.  And hopefully potty trained."

"I try really hard," Olivia said.

"I know.  We're all trying really hard."  He gave her a cuddle.  The mayor smiled.  "She keeps forgetting.  Even on a schedule.  Right now she gets reading in the bathroom time if she goes."

"That's a good bribe when she likes it so much," the secretary said with a smile.  "Mine did it for M&M's."

"Ooooh, candy," Olivia cooed, looking at her uncle.

"We can try that bribe when we get home," he promised.  She hopped down and looked around.  The secretary took her to the bathroom.  Xander sighed.  "If it works, I'll kiss that woman if she wants me to."

"My wife did it for me."  The mayor shrugged.  "Did you want to donate books or a gift card?"

"I don't know.  We'll figure it out."  He nodded and Xander left, gathering her.  "Did you go?"  The secretary smiled and nodded.  "Then you can pick up one piece of candy on the way home."  Olivia squealed and ran down the hallway.  "Wait for me," he called patiently, smiling at her.  "Thank you."  The guard was staring at Olivia, who was staring back.  "Good job to wait."  Olivia took off running again.  "Too much sugar."  The guard snickered but let him follow.  There was a police officer scowling at her so Xander scowled back.  "She knows she can only go so far and then has to wait on me.  If she doesn't then she gets grounded again."

"Eww," Olivia agreed with a smile for the officer.  "You're a stranger so of course I don't talk to you."

"Officers are always good people," he told her.

She shook her head.  "One auntie wasn't.  She dressed up as an officer to 'nap me."

Xander nodded.  "And I kicked her ass for that."  Olivia beamed at him.  "Most officers are good people and if they ask you questions I want you to answer politely, Olivia."

"Yes, Uncle Xander."  She smiled.  "I'm waiting on him."

"Fine."  She ran off again and Xander sighed, shaking his head as he followed.  The officer shook his head on his way to check in.  He couldn't blame the kid for that reason.  He wouldn't have trusted an officer either.

***

They were in Baltimore when Xander got the news.  He winced.  He had offered to cut things short to be there for the captain's funeral.  His wife had told him he was obligated to be there and she understood, especially since Xander was letting them go to his cabin after the funeral to have some time alone to grieve.  Now things were worse.  He looked around.  Olivia was with Peter.  "Peter?"   He looked up and Xander threw him the phone.  Peter read and his face got hard.  "I...."

"We leave in two hours.  She can hold on that long."  He sent a message to Tara.  Who was already on her way to the hospital from what she sent back.  "She will help in our absence."  Xander nodded, biting his lip.  He had Olivia bring him back the phone.

"I'm sorry, one of the detectives I've worked with just got shot," Xander said.  "So we won't be back for this afternoon."

"Of course you're not," one of the fans told him.  "I'd be running out the door."

"I *so* want," Xander admitted quietly.  He got through all the signings and packed up, signing a few on the way to their room to pack up their bags.  He canceled their train ride back and was getting them plane seats when Peter and Olivia came in.  He hugged her.  "Auntie Kate will be all right," he promised, cuddling her.

Peter took over getting them to the airport.  The check-in girl was snotty to them.  "A friend was just shot," he said firmly, glaring at her.  She flinched.  "We are needed at hospital."

Xander glared at her.  "I'm worth over seventy million dollars.  I'll fly private from now on.  Just get us on the damn plane," he growled.  "Please.  We're too stressed out right now to really be pleasant and I'm sorry about that but yay.  She's like family."  She nodded and got them through faster.  They hurried to security, which was a nightmare.  Fortunately, Xander and Peter both had carry permits.  Xander looked at the guard at the front of the line.  "I've got a permit to carry and my gun on me.  The check-in girl said that was your job.  So does my husband.  It's also likely that we have gsr on us from target practice yesterday."

"We can hand-wand you once they're packed up, sir."  He took them to the side to do that.  "They're supposed to do that at the desk."

Xander nodded.  "A friend of ours just got shot and I kinda growled," Xander admitted quietly, cuddling Olivia.  "We need to be there for her."

"Okay."  He got them through the handwanding.  His boss wanted to pat the baby down but Xander was growling and the guy wasn't stupid.  They got passed through and made it to the gate to see an earlier one going.

Peter talked to the stewardess, who got them transferred to that flight as stand-by.  The plane wasn't full and they could stand the tiny seats in economy class for an hour and a half.  When they were in the air, Peter squeezed Xander's hand.  "She will be fine.  You know she will be fine.  Even if Rick has to take up magic she will be fine."

Xander nodded, resting his head on his husband's shoulder.  "I hope so.  I don't think I can take missing another friend, not that close to the last one."

The stewardess walked past them then backed up.  "Sir, there's no cuddling...."

"One of my best friends was just shot at a funeral," Xander said quietly and calmly.  "She's a detective.  Right now, my spouse is going to keep me calm and I'm not really cuddling more than my niece.  I'll make sure there's no PDA to embarrass anyone though."  He stared at her.  She huffed and walked off.  "I'm so dumping all my stocks in this company," Xander muttered.

"How much do you have?" Peter asked.

"About four percent of it."  He smirked.  "We're flying private."  Peter nodded, petting Olivia to keep her calm.  She curled up on his lap to read from Xander's ebook reader.  They got passed over for drinks.  Which was fine with them.  Olivia chased her down to get some water but otherwise the plane was a long wait.

***

Xander came off the plane, seeing the scowling agent.  "Good, I don't have to call a cab to get to Beckett's side."  The agent gasped.  "Now!"  He nodded, walking off with them.  They got their checked bags and weapons then headed out.  Olivia's carseat had been checked.

The agent waited until they were in the car to look at Xander.  "They hate you."

"I'm about to buy their asses and fire them all."

"You can't do that.  Your accounts are still locked."

"That's funny since only two accounts are here in the US," he said dryly.  "Can we yell at me for being rude on the way?"

"Sure."  He drove off, giving him an asschewing on the way.

Xander got there and got out.  "I'll write an apology letter to the Post."  He carried Olivia.  Peter got his bags.  Xander got his and Olivia's and they went inside.  "Which floor is Detective Beckett on?" he asked the 'find their room' desk person.

"She's much...."

Xander held up a hand.  "Beckett is like my damn sister and her aunt.  I don't give a damn."  He stared at her.  "Please?"

"Four," she said, writing it down for him.

"Thank you.  There's plenty up there that'll hold her so she doesn't see anything too horrible."  He walked up there.

Peter looked at him in the elevator.  "I will help you write apology letters."

"I know I'm an asshole.  I'll apologize on the way out," he sighed, looking at him.  "I'm sorry.  This is not my best week."

Peter kissed him.  "Of course is not."  They walked off into the doctor screaming at Tara.  "Oh, dear."

Xander hauled off and hit him.  "Shut the fuck up, Josh.  If Tara can do something to help her, she will be.  If you don't like that, whine!  If you want her to do more than she can reasonably do, she's not the Goddess.  Now, let me go help Tara."  He walked over the doctor.  Tara was giving him worried looks.  He handed Olivia to Martha.  "Our turn?"

"Josh didn't want her to try," Rick said.

"And I care about whiny boy's opinion why?"  Xander looked at him.  "It sucked ass that I couldn't be there for the funeral," he said quietly, staring at him.  "Maybe I could've helped then.  If not, I'm sure as hell going to help now."  Rick nodded, getting out of the way.

"Sir, you can't," the nurse started.  Xander stared at her and she backed down.  "Okay."

"She's my niece's favorite aunt.  Thank you."  He walked in and looked at Tara.  "Let me purge some negative energy into this?"

She nodded, taking his hand to do the healing spell.  "Unblock," she said quietly.  He concentrated and took off the necklace that held his hellmouth taint hidden.  She drew off that and things started to stabilize.  Tara sighed and went limp, which got her caught by Esposito.  He walked her out talking quietly.

Xander leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, whispering something.  She glowed and then he concentrated.  "Tara, there's a healing thing from Jack's project at the warehouse."

"It's broken," she reminded him.

"Damn."

Rick patted him on the back.  "She's in much better shape just from that," he said quietly.  Xander nodded, putting back on the containing necklace.  "What does that do?"

"Keeps all the hellmouth taint inside."  They shared a look.  "Otherwise I look really tasty to the ones who might like that power."  He took Olivia, staring into her eyes.  "Do not try to heal her at all.  You do not know how to do that yet.  You can kiss and talk to her but no drawing the injury into you.  That would seriously kill me, Olivia." 

She nodded, leaning down to hug and kiss her auntie on the cheek.  "You get better.  Auntie will help and make sure."  She kissed her again.  She sniffled so Xander walked her out.  "It hurts her."

"I know.  We're working on making it better."  He stared at her.  "Some day you can study how to help people who're in pain.  Until then you don't know enough and it'd make both of you hurt like that."  She nodded, resting on his shoulder.  "We'll make sure she's fine, Olivia.  You can help your aunt with that."

"I will."  She wiggled until Tara took her to cuddle.  That made them both feel better.

Xander looked at the detectives.  "What else can we do to help?"

"The guy who did it escaped," Eposito said.

"I'll take a picture to the Council and ask around.  Anything else I can do?"

"Not yet."  He saw security getting off.  "They're going to toss you out."

Xander looked at them.  They were demons.  "They shot Beckett."

One of them winced.  "Damn.  Did you hit her boyfriend?"

"The worthless ass who's never there?  Yeah.  He was yelling at Tara about helping her."

The demons nodded.  "Tone it down, Harris."

"I want him tossed out," Josh demanded.

Xander looked at him.  Then at Tara.  "It's not ethical to banish him at Willow," she told him.

"Pity."  The demon guards laughed.  "Guys, who was it?" he asked them.  One pulled up the profile.  The guards read it and nodded.  "He's higher up than the next apocalypse on my shit list.  If you guys hear, I hear or they hear?"

"Agreed," the guards said.  They handed it back and looked at the doctor.  "Real boyfriends would be like him."

"I nearly lost my job doing her surgery."

"Now it's been healed some," Xander told him.  "She's more stable by what's on her monitors."  Josh stared at him.  He stared back.  "It may have escaped your notice but a few years back I was upstairs on quarantine because I got given a demon plague to start one in humanity."  Josh walked off shuddering.  He looked at the family.  "Do we want to take turns?  That way you guys can go get changed?" he asked calmly.  They shook their heads.  "Okay."  He sat down next to Peter and took Olivia back.  "She'll be fine."

"Better be or I'll beat the crap out of someone," Olivia said, scowling at the elevator doors.  "Grandpa will need pompoms."

Xander hugged her.  "When you're sixteen I'll start training you how to do that."  She beamed at him.

Rick's mother Martha smiled at him and patted Olivia's hair down. "She'll be just fine, people.  Why don't you go feed the cats and get her changed?"

Olivia looked at herself then at her.  "I know it's not really pretty because I have wrinkles but the airport people were poops."

"I'll write an apology letter to them later," Xander said, cuddling her.  "The cats are fine.  Sam's back to kitty sit."

She smiled.  "Olivia doesn't need all this stress," she said quietly.

"Tough," Olivia said.  "That's my auntie and I'm staying, no matter who thinks it'll make me less smart and pretty."  She stared at her.  "She's my auntie."

"Family is everything to some of us," Rick agreed, taking her to cuddle.  He could use the cuddle.  Alexis hugged his side.  They both cuddled Olivia because she always made you feel better.  Which was probably part of her skills coming out but right now they weren't going to do anything about it.

Tara took the bags from Peter.  "Let me tell Sam."  He nodded.  Xander looked at her.  "I could use something to drink."

"Okay.  Thanks."  He hugged her.  She smiled since it had forced more energy into her.  She left to tell the rest of the extended 'family' they had.  John Winchester thought Beckett was what his future granddaughters should be.  Plus she could start writing Xander's apology letter for his temper.

***

Olivia ran in when Rick walked out of Beckett's room.  She climbed up on the bed and pounced her for a careful hug.  "You're better."  She kissed her on the cheek.  "Auntie and I will make sure you're okay."  She stared at her.  "Unclie Xander is already growling about the bad guy so you just get better.  I'll fuss when I can."

Kate smiled.  "I'd like that but I might go out of the city for a bit to rest."

"We have cabin."  She hugged her again.  "You rest.  You always need rest when you're sick, and books.  I'll see if we can bring you books."

Beckett smiled.  "I'd like that.  I'll be okay."

Olivia stared at her.  "You still need fussed over.  Unclie taught me so I'm very good at it."  She kissed her again.  "We'll see if you can bring muffins.  I'm not sure if mean nurses will let you and not steal them."  She wiggled down and walked out.  "We make her muffins?" she asked the nurse glaring at her.  "She needs rest and fussing."

"You're too young."

Olivia kicked her in the shin.  Then she smiled.  "Can she have muffins?"

"Fine," she said, wincing.

"Olivia," Xander and Peter warned.

"Sorry, I'm very worried and I have to go so I can get things to fuss over her.  She's my auntie and I have to fuss."  She stomped around her, glaring at her uncle.  "You drive," she pointed out.

"Let us talk to her first.  You go apologize better," Xander said with a point.  Olivia pouted but went to apologize for kicking the nurse in the shin.  Xander slipped in there, staring at her.  "If you want to use the cabin, you can."

"I might."  She smiled weakly.  "She's very strong willed."

"She's a lot like her mother.  Daniel was only stubborn."  She smiled.  "Muffins?"

"Tomorrow."

He nodded.  "We can do that.  We need to go calm her down."  He rolled his eyes.  "If you need stuff, you tell me."

"Don't you dare go looking for him."

Xander kissed her on the temple and grinned.  "You don't look like my husband," he said dryly. She glared.  He smirked.  "Didn't I handle the last serial killer that was after you?"  He walked out, picking up Olivia where the nurse was telling her what she could and couldn't have in the next few days.  "Muffins?"

"Soft ones, no frosting.  She doesn't need the dose of sugar."

"Okay.  Anything else?  Like lunch and things?"

"For right now, she'll be fine.  She'll get mush like every other patient."

"I remember, that's why I offered.  I was up on quarantine a few years back."  He shuddered.

"Tomorrow, only soft things with protein."

"I can do that."  He smiled.  "Did she apologize?"

"She did.  This is why we don't like children up here."

"She'd rip down this hospital if I didn't let her see her aunt."  The nurse smiled.  "Seriously!  She's magically active.  She'd rip down the hospital."

The nurse patted her on the head.  "She can come back with you tomorrow during visiting times."  He nodded and left with her.  They stopped to talk to Beckett's father.  Olivia gave him a hug too because he needed one.  He patted Xander on the shoulder.

***

Xander snuck out that night, going to a bar he had only been to once but a lot of his former dates liked it.  He walked in.

"You're married to one of us, not actually one of us," someone joked.

"I heard my ex was here and I wanted to know if he had seen the mother fucker that shot my friend Kate."  He grinned at his former paramour.  Who shivered.  "Yeah, I'm more pissed off than I was at that bomber in LA.  Got any idea where he is?"

"No."  He took a sip of his beer.  "Does Peter know you're here?"

"Probably.  He tends to wake up whenever I leave the bed."  He stared at him.

"If I hear he's around me I'll gladly hand him over.  I remember the mess you made of the guy who wanted to bomb the detective who got your dates in LA, Xander.  Does Peter know about that?"

"Don't know.  That depends on what Lorne Cash found during that background he did."  He grinned.  "I'm told it had ties back to a really old case and why her captain got killed." 

That got a nod.  "If I hear, I'll gladly tell you or the cops around her, before your volcanic temper is unleashed."  He took another drink.

Xander kissed him on the forehead.  "Thanks.  Let me go sharpen weapons."  He walked out.  He went to the demon poker place.  A few gave him odd looks.  "Olivia nearly called down a blood feud on whoever shot her aunt," he announced.  "I'm so proud she has my temper instead of Willow's."   Most of the room shuddered.  He put down a paper.  "This is the guy who shot her.  If you guys hear, can I or Rick Castle have him?  Dead isn't quite as fine but if you gotta....."  He waved a hand around.

The City Council member in there smiled.  "If we see or hear of him, we will tell you, Xander.  Can you calm Olivia down?"

"Hell no.  This is her first major injury among those she considers family."

"Ooooh," she said with a wince.  "Her magic?"

"John gave her something to bind it for a few days."  He grinned.  They just nodded.  "So...."

"If we hear of him, we'll tell you or the detectives."

"Thanks."  He walked out, picking up some milk on the way home.  Olivia would need some for breakfast.  Peter was waiting on him.  "Making sure the demon poker hall heard."

"You smell like regular smoke too."

"I talked to Gregor since I heard he's in town.  I figure if he's hiding in the human underground Gregor's probably heard."

Peter nodded.  "Probably."  He kissed him.  "Yuck."

"I kissed him on the temple."  He wiped his mouth and rinse and spit with some water from the faucet then took a kiss.  "Better?"

"Much."  He stared at him.  "You are not officer."

Xander took a quick kiss.  "You should ask someone in LA about the guy I caught making bombing plans against the detective that arrested all my dates out there."  He strolled off taking off his shirt.

Peter texted that to Lorne Cash, who sent back he had no idea but he'd look.  Peter followed to calm Xander down.  Clearly his temper was high.  He needed to be more analytical instead of emotional.

***

Peter woke to his phone beeping at six.  He looked at the message, opening the attached file.  He could read lips so he understood what the man was begging and crying about.  He was impressed.  Xander had made him regret everything and the man had been Russian mafia.  He had wondered how that sort had heard about Xander.  Probably from this.  He put his phone aside and laid down again.  Xander hadn't woken up.  He'd get in some cuddles before Xander got up to go to the gym.  Maybe it would keep Xander calm while people worked on finding that future dead person.

He would remind Xander he was a scary former KGB agent later so he could help him when they did find the person.

***

Xander walked into the station two weeks later.  He handed Esposito a check.  "For the reward to find the asshole."

He smiled.  "I'll have them add it, Xander.  He could be out of the area."

"The demon network would extend."

"Do we really need a second *author*?" a female voice demanded.

Xander stared at her.  "Yes, you do, because I'm upping the reward for information on the guy who shot Beckett."  She gaped.  He stared at her.  "Anything else?  They're my friends and I often visit to bring them lunch when they're working too hard."  He looked at Ryan again.  "Jenny good?"

"She's fine."  He watched the new captain huff off.  "She hates Castle," he hissed.

Xander smirked.  "She's half-demon," he said.  He looked at Esposito.  "Anything I can help with?  I'm feeling weak and helpless and I hate being a novel heroine."

"Not at the moment.  She tried to get Castle removed."

Xander smirked.  "That's nice but I told Gregor to not bomb the 113 last week."  They groaned.  "Peter was pretty amused too.  He and Gregor had a short, quiet talk while I sat on the hood of the car."  Esposito shook his head with a groan.  "Peter wanted to help too.  He reminded me he was a scary KGB agent for nearly two decades."

"If we can, bro," Esposito assured him.

Xander grinned.  "Thanks.  I really want to beat that guy nearly to death and then hand him over.  Peter said he'd stop me though."  He grinned.  He looked at the huffy woman when she came back out.  "What?"

"Why are you still here distracting my detectives?"  Xander stared at her and then took off his necklace, making her gasp and back away slowly and carefully.  "Who are you?"

"Xander Harris, same as I've always been.  Alexian is a pen name."  He grinned.  "I've also helped them before when they needed strange things for cases."  He put it back on.  "They're like favorite uncles to my niece Olivia."  She nodded, taking another step back.  "I'm never a threat to good cops, outside what's-his-name in Robbery that ignored the information I gave him on Beckett's serial killer stalker."  He shrugged, looking at the guys again.  "You were muttering last night about sacrificial circles?"

"I stopped in on Tara this morning." Ryan grinned.  Xander grinned back.  "Olivia?"

"Calling Beckett every single afternoon to read her a bedtime story so she has to rest."

They grinned at him.  "You taught her well," Esposito said.  "Even my mother can't fuss that much."

"I know, and she did it to John when he sprained his ankle, no matter how much he complained.  She pouted him into accepting it.  She does have her mother's resolve face.  It made me do things for *years*."  They snickered.  "So don't need my help?"  They shook their heads.  "Okay.  I'm letting Olivia fuss at you guys with lunch next week sometime.  Let me know if Wednesday is a bad day.  She's got an appointment for shots so she's out of daycare that day."

"So far as we know it'll be fine.  If we get a call out, we'll text."  Xander nodded and left.  Kevin smiled at the new captain.  "We arrested his former dates for years when he moved here."

"Made our stats great," Esposito agreed.  "We got something like seventeen serial killers, some mafia guys, a lot of weapons dealers."

"A few dirty agents," Ryan agreed.  "The one in the CIA that gave him the nuclear warhead."

The captain groaned.  "So he's actually helpful?" she sneered.

"Yup," they said in unison.  The room got really dark and then something outside screamed.  "Plus Beckett was on to help him handle any local apocalypse battles," they said, going to the window.

Esposito opened it to look down.  "Was it that evil?"

"Yes," Xander called back.  "It was handing over the three people it decided it didn't want to eat.  Which means we need to track the nest back to see if there's any living victims.  Especially since it eats kids usually."

"Be right there," Esposito said, closing the window.  He and Kevin grabbed their jackets and weapons before heading down the stairs at a jog.  The three adult victims were being handled.  Xander was looking it over.  "It have an ID?"

"There's only three of them in town.  The local Council asked Faith to make them flee.  I thought she got two of them."  He texted her.  She sent their addresses.  "Three possible places and a storage building they were using for a nest."

"We can do that," they agreed, heading with him.

"Faith meeting us?" Ryan asked.

"Yup.  At the one on Thirty-Third."  That got a nod and they headed there first.  It was only a few blocks from her house so they could take her if it wasn't there.

The captain went to call the mayor and tell him what had happened.  He agreed, Xander was useful and Beckett had been on call for emergencies of a demon nature.  In her place was now Flack and Taylor for a bit.  They were next on the list.

***

Xander walked into the lab that afternoon with a smile.  "I was told Detective Taylor wanted to see me to probably yell and scream."

She smirked.  "Are you an officer?"

He grinned.  "Fantasy author and I put him into something again."  She huffed but paged him.

Mac came off the elevator, looking at him.  "What did you put me into this time?"

"The wizarding series.  You're one of the teachers that shows up in the next book."

"Fine," he muttered.  "The Mayor and Captain Turner said we're filling in for Beckett while she's down."

"She usually tells me most of the time."

"Fine.  If we don't, you call us."

"Okay.  Esposito and Ryan helped me and Faith bring down the human eating thing earlier."

"I heard.  The Mayor was amused."  Xander shrugged.  Mac handed over both cards. "Call us."

"Yes, Detective Taylor.  Should I let Olivia fuss over you too?"

"No, she's cute but no kids in the lab."

Xander grinned.  "Sure.  By the way, there's a 'settling who's in charge' battle next week among one of the demon gangs.  I promised I would not interfere or tell Beckett about it so she could interfere.  They need it settled or it'll turn into a war."

"That's fine.  Where?"  Xander wrote out the map he had been given.  "I'll make sure we don't have anything down that way and keep away from them.  Would us holding a line...."

"No, they'd attack any humans.  It's like ritual combat and slightly sacred."  He shrugged.

"Okay.  I can handle that and put out a 'don't go there' order."  Xander wrote down two other numbers.  "I have Faith's."

"It's slightly changed.  She got a better phone.  The other is the guardian of the local City Council.  They occasionally call on Beckett when one needs to be put in jail."

"I can introduce myself tomorrow."

"Thanks."  He grinned.  "Wanna be an elf?"

"No thanks."  He walked off smiling but shaking his head.

Xander bounced off to go pounce his husband and then cook dinner.  He needed to do some fussing to calm himself down.

***

Six weeks later, Lorne Cash looked up as his partner Max sat next to him with a book.  "Shank's new book is out?" he asked.

"Yup," she said with a smile.  "I'm wondering if you're the agent that keeps creeping in the window to talk."

"Possibly."  He took it to read that section, she had a bookmark there.  "Yeah, probably."  He handed it back with a head shake.  "Anything else going on?"

"No, New York's been abnormally quiet for the last eight weeks."  He looked at her.  "Even the guys out in LA have been wondering why it's been so quiet in New York."

"I'll call Shank."  He walked off to do that.  He got a panting man.  "Sorry to interrupt."  He hung up.  He got called back.  "Oh, okay, gym time I can understand.  I was hoping I hadn't broken into something with Xander."  He listened.  "He's the nurturing sort, Shank.  Look at what he taught Olivia about fussing over someone.  That didn't come from Tara."  That got a reasonable answer.  "People are wondering why New York's so calm."  He heard why and nodded once.  "Can we help?"  He got into his email he hadn't checked in nearly two months, finding the information sheet.  "I'll see if we can find him.  Thanks.  Let me know if can physically help, and I won't even climb up the fire escape this time."  He hung up, looking up that person.

Max walked behind him.  "Who is he?"

"Someone that pissed Harris off enough that everyone's scared he's going to create an apocalypse to get him.  He shot Beckett."

"Ooooh," she said with a wince and a hiss.  "Poor woman."  She walked off.  "Let me know if I can help."

"It leads back to whoever killed Beckett's mother.  That's all they've told Peter or Xander."

"I can look into that."

"Is that our caseload?" Micah called from his office.

"Yes, because otherwise Shank is going to have to stop Harris from destroying the city to get this guy," Lorne called back.

"Damn."

"Basically."

"Or Olivia," Max said.  "She is magically active and three.  She'd probably act on an emotional basis instead of a rational one."

Lorne shuddered at the very thought.

***

Connor and Gunn walked into the LA Demon Council's meeting room.  "You called?" Connor asked.

"The being that is causing all the tension in New York is about to come out here."

"The guy that Xander is going to kill for hurting his detective friend?" Gunn asked.

"No, Harris himself."

Gunn smirked.  "It'll be fine."  The Council scowled.  "We want to see Olivia during the writers convention.  He'll be calm and his husband is coming as well."  They groaned.  "Maybe New York will untense once he's distracted so they can find the guy.  Then it'll be done with."

"Fine.  Keep him in check."  They nodded.  "Dismissed."  She waved a hand.

They left together, Gunn calling Xander.  "Are we babysitting?"  He smiled at Connor.  "We are."

"Fred will squeal again."  They smirked at each other and went to tell her.

The demon council got together to see if they could find a way around all that stress.  They were scared of Olivia turning into her uncle and what she would do when she grew up.

***

Xander walked into the station with a box of treats.  He put them down in front of Esposito then wrote out things.  "Writers convention."  He handed it to him.  "That's the Hyperion, where the LA team is."  That got a nod.  "Hotel main number.  If you need us, you call and we'll be back.  The LA team is babysitting so Peter and I can have some alone time."  He grinned.  "Those are the pistachio ones you guys like."  He looked at Castle.  "Convention?"

He shook his head.  "Not this year."

"Okay.  If anything funny comes up I'll let you know."  He gave him a manly hug.  "Olivia's going with us.  Tara's going to sulk at home.  She's got massive PMS and everyone's being too careful around her."  He winked.  "I'm thinking the IVF worked."  He shrugged.  He looked at the board.  "Gregor's brother?"  They nodded.  "Is he the dead one?"

"Yup."

"I'm sorry about Gregor's temper if he's in town."

"Not that we've heard," Ryan said.

"Ask Mickey."  He grimaced.  "They go to the same bars."  He looked at them.  "I removed everyone's number from my phone when I got serious with Peter.  Sorry."

"That's cool.  He can warn us," Esposito said, handing on the muffins after getting one.  "Thanks for lunch, Xander."

"Welcome."  He smirked at them.  "We'll be back in a few days."  He strolled off.  Peter was in the car.  Olivia was reading in her carseat.  They had rented a flight from New York and were taking some of Rick's poker buddies that were going.  Peter got them there in plenty of time and they made it through security easily enough.  Xander walked on first with Olivia.  "Hola, guys."

"I can't believe you rented a plane," one of them joked.

Xander looked at him.  "I hate flying commercial.  Especially after last time."

Olivia found a seat and sat down.  "Potty is where?"  Xander pointed.  She went to check on it then sat down again.  "Just in case I need it," she told the bigger people she kind of knew from poker games.

They smiled.  "That's very good work, Olivia," one told her.  Peter walked up.  "How did the second book go?"

"Very well," he said, storing their bags in the overhead compartments.  He gave Xander a pointed look and got his laptop.  Xander got his own laptop and sat down with Olivia.  "Someone is getting nagged."

The other authors laughed but nodded they understood.  One of them got a phone call and answered it.  "Yup?"  He listened.  "That sucks."  He looked around.  "Xander, some of the romance writers and one of your fantasy people just got told their flight was canceled."  He shrugged.  "Xander has room for about six people.  No, he rented.  He hates flying commercial after the last few times."

"Private terminal B," Peter said.

"We're at private terminal B and we're due to leave in about twenty minutes.  Sure."  He hung up.  "They'll be right here."

Xander nodded.  "We all need a vacation at the convention."  Olivia hugged him and he hugged her back.  "You're a good girl."  She beamed at him.

"What're you working on now?" Peter asked.

"The warrior mages using the Knights Templar style cult to defeat the evil shits in New York story."

"Ah, the one you get nagged about," Peter joked.

"Did Lorne tease you about where you put him in?"

"Quite."  He grinned.  Xander grinned back.  "Will LA have any problems?"

"No.  We'd better not."  The others laughed.  "The LA team said nothing's going on."

"Even better."   They got back to things while waiting on the others.  Xander went to meet them and let them in.  He only knew one of them but she vouched that the rest were authors.  They got added to his passenger list and they boarded.  One more tried to get on but the plane was full so they couldn't.  She pouted but Xander shrugged and said unless she wanted to hold Olivia all flight.  She decided to book her own and call the other authors to see if they wanted to go in for the trip.

***

Xander was doing an interview, which he was pretty used to.

"Alexian, it's said that you've quit writing gay characters since you got with your boyfriend."

"No, not in the least."

"The last few books have only had heterosexual characters."

"There's three coming out in the next six months with main gay characters and two of the last seven had secondary lead lesbian characters.  And most of those have been unstated or not shown.  If there's a follow up to the Staffs book, the Crystal Holder is actually grieving for his male spouse."

"Oh."  She smiled.  "So you haven't used that as an outlet for what you're not getting?"
   
Xander stared at her for a moment.  "I never have.  No matter who I was dating."

"No teasing your boyfriend with sex scenes?"

"No.  Not usually.  Now and then we'll proofread for each other but he's not really into fantasy novels."  He shrugged.  "Why?  Did someone suggest that?"

"Quite a few people expected that to happen."

"No, almost nothing is going to translate over from my real life.  After all, I'm not that sort of fantasy guy."  He smiled.  She cackled and swatted him on the arm.  He was glancing at the crowd because she was boring him stupid, and heard the quiet start.  "Excuse me, I think that's a problem starting."

"I don't hear any screams," she complained.

"The screams start after this sort of quiet."  He got up and looked out the door.  There was a huge demon.  There was Connor.  There was Olivia in the demon's grasp.  He pointed.  "Sit, stay, be safe."  He walked out and took Connor's spare sword.  "Give me my damn niece now please."

"You are not going to raise her," the demon sneered.  "She does not know you exist."

"I want my daddy!" Olivia was shouting.  A twinkling started and a portal.

"Willow, down!" Xander shouted.  She squeaked and moved.  Xander shot the demon.  Connor rescued Olivia.  They switched and Connor finished the demon.  "'Liv, are you all right?"  She sobbed, clutching him.  "Connor, can you break the spell?"

"No!"

"Fuck."  Olivia stared at him in horror.  "It's all right, Olivia. It's a spell.  I'm your uncle."  He shot at something coming out of the twinkling.  "Daniel, get your ass here now!"  He hurried over with the kids.  Buffy and Willow were still in the portal.  "Well?" he demanded.  The demon falling on it started to warp it.  "Move, ladies!"

"Only one of us can get through!" Willow shouted.

Xander took a deep breath, looking at Daniel, who was looking miserable.

"Go, you guys have Faith," Buffy ordered.

"I can find my way out easier," Willow complained.  The portal snapped and exploded.

Connor stopped Daniel from moving.  "All the force was on this side," he said.  "Xander, spell?"

Xander took off the necklace.  "Let's see if I can pull an Auntie Tara."  He concentrated and muttered, laying a hand on her.  The spell snapped and the portal snapped too.  Xander looked then at Connor.  "Did he create the portal?"  He cuddled Olivia.  Connor nodded.  "Why?"

"The prophecy that says if Olivia ends up hunting she'll be at the last great apocalypse of humanity."

"She's not going to hunt.  Maybe be a doctor and take care of hunters," he said dryly.  He walked over to Daniel and the two with him.  "Hey."

Tara appeared in a flash with Dean Winchester.  "I felt Willow."  Connor pointed at the demon and then where the portal was.  She checked.  "Daniel, they're all right."  He sighed and handed off the babies to hug his original one.  Dean and Connor got the demon out of the way.  Tara walked over and finished unraveling the spells on Olivia and the ones on the babies and Daniel.  "That way Willow has more energy around her," she said quietly, giving him a hug.  "Welcome back."  He choked up but nodded.

"Shh, it's all right," Olivia said.  Daniel whispered in her ear and she smiled.  "Daddy!  I make books sound like you."  She cuddled him back.  "Thank you, Uncle Xander."

"Not a problem, 'Liv.  We wanted your daddy back too."  She grinned at him.  He handed Tara his room key.  "Take them up there.  Peter's napping on the couch."  She nodded, getting them out of the way.  He looked at Dean, who was looking a bit upset.  "I don't know," he said quietly.

"Me either but you'll handle it.  Dad may pout though," he quipped weakly.

"Yeah, me too."  He nodded.  "I have an interview."  Dean nodded and let him go.  He and Connor faded off for right now.  Dean had groupies among the bookish sort and he didn't need pounced right now.

Xander looked at the reporter.  "Sorry."

"No," she said.  "Who was that?"

"Daniel, Olivia's father."  She slumped.  "We're seeing what's going on.  Did you need more?  I know you have me for another twenty minutes."

"No, that's all right.  It's more important that you go shelter Olivia."

He smiled.  "That's why I sent them with Tara.  She's very good at all the emotional stuff."  She smiled back and pulled out her notes to go back to it.

***

Peter woke up when the door opened, hand going to his gun when he didn't recognize them.  Tara followed him in and he was cuddling Olivia.  "Someone missing?" he guessed.

"Daniel, this is Peter, Xander's husband," Tara said with a smile for Peter.  "A demon wanted to make sure Olivia couldn't hunt and bounced a spell off Olivia to bring them back, kind of.  We had to undo the memory spell he laid on her though."

"Baby tylenol is in cabinet in bathroom.  She had fever after flight from her ears."  He took Olivia to cuddle and kiss on the temple.  "Sit and talk to him."  Olivia smiled and climbed into her father's lap to talk to him.  It made him feel better.  He saw the other two children and waved.  "Hello."  One was old enough to wave back with a smile.  "I remember your sister being that age."

"That one's now a tiny bit older than her," Daniel admitted, looking at him.  "Are you evil like some of Xander's dates?"

"No, I am former KGB."  He smiled.  "Those sort are mostly dead after shooting each other."

"Good!"  He cuddled his baby again.  "I missed you."

She smiled.  "Of course you did.  You're my daddy."  He grinned back.  She looked at Tara.  "Daddy come live with us?"

"I don't know, Princess.  That's between Uncles Xander and Peter, and your daddy."

"Uncle Peter?"

"We'll talk about it later, after everyone has calmed down."  She beamed and nodded, hugging him again.  "We see much of your cousin George."

Daniel smiled.  "George used to be the hellion in the family but he's a stand-up guy when it's family."  He pointed.  "Olivia, your mommy gave you a brother and sister while we were away."

She smiled and waved.  "I'll teach you how to read and potty train.  That's hard but I'm working on it."

"You're doing very good with it," Tara praised.  "Who had you before the demon showed up?"

"Unclie Gunn?"

"I'll make sure he's fine," she said, calling him.  "Gunn, Tara.  I'm here in LA with Olivia and Daniel, plus the new ones.  Yeah, here at the hotel.  Showed up here.  Thanks."  She hung up and let Xander in when he knocked.  "It'll be okay and we'll work things out," she reminded the baby, kissing her on the head.

Olivia smiled at her daddy.  "She's one of my aunties.  She has a puppy."

"Puppies are good.  Do you have a puppy?"

"Uncle Xander has three kitties and Uncle Dean has kitty wife he lets stay with Uncle Xander."  Daniel smiled and nodded.  The other two got handed over and Olivia helped him fuss over them.  "We need to go shopping, Auntie.  They not pretty yet and need diapers because his butt stinks worse than mine does."

"We can do that."  She got one of Olivia's diapers to change that one.  The other one got checked but he wasn't wet.

"You gotta cover that," Daniel warned.

Tara smiled.  "I know."  She hugged him again.  "We'll work on getting the others back."

"There's only Buffy and Willow," he said.  Xander slumped, shaking his head.  "There was an attack and Joyce died defending Willow while she was delivering him.  Giles....  He fell within six months to some strange infection."  He glanced at Xander.  "He wasn't in a whole lot of pain, either one."

Xander looked at him.  "Thanks."

Daniel nodded.  "I know what they meant to your group."  He cuddled the babies.  "Is she doing good?"

"She's still working on the potty training stuff.  She's reading small words.  Tara and I are working on the writing stuff.  We're basing it on what she'll need for a good kindergarten."  He sighed.  "But I guess we have to talk, huh?"

Daniel swallowed and nodded.  "We should, yeah.  George around?"

"This is the huge writer's convention in LA."

"That makes sense."  He smiled at Olivia then at Tara.  "Would you feel like getting the others and taking them to get a few things?"

"Of course.  I've spent three days a week with Olivia since we got handed her by Clem."

Daniel grinned.  "I love that floppy, wrinkly guy."

"He brought Olivia to me at the convention I was at.  Some zombie had tried to hurt her but Clem destroyed it and she slept through it just like Willow used to."  Daniel laughed and nodded.  "'Liv, take the auntie and help her get some stuff for the babies?"  She nodded, taking the baby carrier out of the closet.

"We can cab at first," she decided.  "You'll still need car seats for them."  She took them off, Dean falling into step with her.  "We're going to pick up some essentials for the little ones."

"That's a good thing.  Let Daniel and Xander talk dad to dad."  She smiled.  "How's the thing going?  I ask to see if I should mail you Sammy."

She blushed, ducking her head.  Then she nodded.  He grinned and hugged her.  "I'm insane to want one of my own."

"I'm going to have a sister!" Olivia squealed, drawing attention.  She hugged Tara's stomach.  "A sister!"

"You have a sister here too," Dean pointed out with a point at her.

"Ooh, two sisters and a brother," she cooed, hugging them again.

Tara smiled.  "C'mon, silly.  Let's get them some pretty things and some dinner."  Olivia nodded, letting Dean help with the carseats while she got into her own.  She was a big girl and could do her own carseat.  Tara hitched her in and got around to sit in the front.  Fortunately it was one of those minivan cabs.  "We need to go to a mega store or a mall, whichever is closer.  The others need their own carseats."

"Sure," he agreed.  "Walmart's close enough."  He drove them off.  They seemed like a nice family, but a bit weird.  She clearly wasn't local with the way she was dressed.

***

Xander looked at Peter, who nodded he'd be outside for a bit.  Xander paused him and took a kiss.  "Thank you," he whispered.  Peter smiled and let them talk.

Daniel cleared his throat.  "I have no idea, Xander."

"Olivia's so much like my little girl.  Also, you should know I had a vision of her trying to pop back because she and Willow started to argue."

Daniel shuddered.  "No, I'd never want that."  He looked at him.  "What do you want to happen?"

"I want at least visitation."

"I can agree with that.  I'm not sure I can stay here in LA without the wife.  It's dangerous."

"New York has it's own dangers but not as many.  Unless all the Winchesters are at the house, I even have a free room or you can camp on her floor.  It might help with her potty training," he finished dryly.  Daniel grinned.  "We've bribed by the tons.  She's doing good with the candy bribe along with the 'you go, you get ten minutes of reading time' bribe."

"She does read?"

"Yeah, she's not got a great vocab yet but she can read about fifty words and most of the tiny kid books are those."  He grinned.  "Tara taught her the first one and then each time she'd climb into our lap with a book she'd point out her words and then we'd teach her a new one."

"That's wonderful."  Daniel grinned.  "You've made my girl a wonderful young one."

"Who sometimes channels her Aunt Buffy.  She's very concerned with her prettiness level."  Daniel burst out laughing, shaking his head.  "But John's introduced her to nerf weapons so she's willing to ambush him as long as she can still be pretty.  We've got things set up for a small garden this coming spring.  Oh, Tara's knocked up by IVF."

"Wonderful.  She'll make a great Ma to a brood of heathens."  He looked around then at him.  "Is Peter good to her?"

"Since the first day Peter's been excellent to her.  He showed up that first time and she gave him a shiteating grin and kept calling him Puppy."  Daniel grinned.  "We definitely need to wean her back onto you full time if you want more custody."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.  The other two?"

"She was so happy that Tara was going to give her a baby sister," Xander said dryly.  "Your little fashionista wannabe has already decided what sort of nursery she's having, that she'll go to the same daycare, all that."

"She's a special girl."

"Your girl's insane, has mood swings, and did I mention insane?" Xander asked dryly, but smiling.  "Also, magically active."

"I remember," he sighed.

"She's got a good hand with herbology.  She's spent a lot of time with Tara's coven and they're willing to teach her all the herbalism and healing stuff since she's shown real talent in that direction.  I'm kinda hoping that some day I'll get to pay for medical school for her."

"Healing?"  Daniel lifted his head.

"Yeah.  She was doing it unconsciously.  When a friend who's a detective got shot I had to be real firm and order her not to help any."

"Huh.  I might not mind that and the herbal stuff.  I know Tara's good with it."

"She is and she's guiding her.  Her daycare has another member of Tara's coven there.  Oh."  He snapped his fingers.  "Tara's got an aunt in New York.  She's a bitchy witch.  All the way to curses of misfortune on me and things.  The covens dealt with her but it's something we're worried about slightly."

"That's sad.  There's one at her daycare?"

"She used to do things like make the books read to her in your voice.  She also was a treat at floating the books to her."  Daniel winced.  "That's why we picked that daycare, so that Missy, the coven member, could look over her shoulder when Tara and I couldn't.  There's no way in hell we'd let her turn into Willow.  Your daughter already knows what ethics are and that using her gifts for the wrong thing is bad.  We had to tell her that healing without permission was."

"Why?  That seems like it's good."

"If you don't know what you're doing, the innate reaction to healing anything is to bring it into yourself and then healing it in yourself with your own energy."  Daniel winced.  "She was trying to heal a little boy who had a small tumor."  Daniel shuddered.  "She didn't.  She was with George and Sam."

"His girlfriend?"

"Sam Winchester.  All three  have been hanging around a lot since Clem brought her to me.  She thinks one of my cats is all but married to Dean.  John's become a Grandpa."  Daniel grinned.  "I've talked to your parents a few times.  Your mother's mean, Daniel."

"She can be, yeah."

"We have an international signing trip this coming summer and I was going to bring her and pop around on them but I was worried she'd try to snatch her."

"Knowing my Ma, possibly."  He smiled.  "She'll love her but hate her gifts."

"She knows.  George told her.  He gets her to the park at least once a week.  He comes over sometimes when he's had a bad day to get cuddles.  'Liv being a projective empath makes everyone who hugs her feel better."

"I noticed that with her Ma sometimes."

"Yeah, but Willow wasn't three."

"True."  He smiled.  "School?"

"I picked out a great one for her to be on the waiting list of.  She's pre-approved and they know that you and she could've shown up at any time.  She called it the weirdest custody case ever."  Daniel nodded.  "I was honest and she said if Olivia ends up back here then she'd give you a list of equally good schools."

"That's going to be helpful.  I'm not sure what I want yet."  Someone knocked and he flinched.

"That sounds like Connor."  Xander got up to let him in.  "Hey," he said with a nod inside for him and Peter.  "We're figuring things out."

"The local Council is *freaked*," Connor told him.  "The demon that did it knew he was on a suicide mission and bypassing that prophecy was necessary."

"Olivia will never *need* to hunt like the Winchesters do," Xander told him.  "She'll always have relatives who'll take her in.  If one of us can't, I've asked Rick if he could."

Connor smiled.  "He seemed like a goofy guy like you."

"Sometimes, yeah."  He grinned at Daniel.  "We will work it out without stressing out Olivia.  Because if we don't minimize it and she's damaged I'll kill us both," Xander told Daniel.

"I can agree with that.  I hate to see the babies cry."  He rubbed his eyes.  "I need a nap."

"You do," Connor agreed.  "Tara's already called up and said she's taking all three with her for a bit.  Dean's watching over them.  You're coming back to the Hyperion to nap for now.  Tara'll bring over the babies when Olivia's done making them pretty."

Daniel nodded.  "That'll work.  When do you go back, Xander?"

"Monday morning at seven," Peter said.  "We rented one."

"That'll work."  He stood up.  "Let me nap for a few hours and then I'll talk to you after dinner?"

"Awards thing tonight," Xander admitted.  "But I don't have to sign things until ten tomorrow.  We're done with that award semi-dinner at ten."

"That'll work."  He shook their hands.  "Thank you.  I didn't worry you'd do more than introduce her to Star Trek."

"Of course I did.  She thinks Janeway's a great role model," Xander said dryly with a grin.  Daniel grinned back and left with Connor.  Xander deflated and lost his grin.  "Oh, God," he muttered.

Peter pulled him over to the bed to hold him.  "We will work things out so we see her very often.   And possibly the other two as well."  Xander nodded, curling up on Peter's chest.  Peter didn't say a thing when he felt his shirt getting wet.  Olivia was as close as Xander would get to a real child so of course he was grieving for losing her at least part of the time.

***

Xander walked into Beckett's hiding spot that Monday afternoon and sat down with a sigh.  She gave him a pointed look.  "Daniel's back."

"Oh, damn.  Olivia?"

"Has two siblings and Willow was pregnant there so she's got one she might not ever get to see."  He looked at her.  "Daniel's coming back tomorrow with her and Tara."

"So he's moving to New York?"  Xander nodded.  "Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah, a lot.  Though she seems to hate her baby brother for some reason."  He grimaced.  "So we're doing weird things and my mind's confused again and I really want to get into a fight to wear out some of this stress but Peter's being great and understanding.  Even when I broke out crying."

"I think most people would do the same thing," she admitted carefully.  "Why are you up here?"

"Because you're hiding, woman."  He stared at her.  "And I need someone not as close to talk to.  Peter just keeps reassuring me and I can see all the bad things that could happen."

"Sometimes bad things do happen," she agreed.  "But you always said that Daniel was the level headed sort."

"Yeah and he's sad about missing her for two years."

"I'm guessing that's what guys in jail go through."

"I thought the same thing.  Daniel gave me a dirty look."

"It's probably not something he wants to think about."  She looked at him.  "You drove all the way up here after getting back from LA to talk about this?"

"And to see if you wanted to talk."  He stared at her.  "Not like I haven't been at death's door, shook his hand, even nearly french kissed him once."  She shivered.  "And no shrink that hasn't been there will ever be able to understand fully.  So I'm offering myself as a sounding board so I can take my mind off things.  Though Peter probably knows.  He has the car bugged in case one of us gets snatched again."

"When did you nearly die?"

"You mean you didn't realize I coded five times during the plague thing?"  She groaned and swallowed.  "Or that I've had some really bad injuries in the past that should've sent me to a real hospital but it was Sunnydale?  I mean, the whole merman thing?  They had to do a full blood transfusion.  That made me sick enough I actually visited the ER out there for help.  Beyond that one, I wasn't sure I wasn't going to die when I got the stuff from the Indians that thanksgiving.  I was at the bad stage of the smallpox when they gave up and got banished."

"I didn't even think about that."

"I don't like to."

"Me either."  She got up to get something to drink and came back.  He was stretched out on the couch.  "Comfy?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, because I just saw a scope spotlight hit your chair."  She moved out of the way.  He got onto the floor and shifted toward the doorway, then decided to hit the window since it was closer.  He pulled his gun.

"Xander, I'm the cop."

"You're on suspended duty until you pass things," he reminded her.  "Let me be macho, woman."

Some days he really did remind her of Castle, maybe his illegitimate son.  "Fine."  She was out of harm's way and calling the real cops.

Xander found the guy and stared.  "That's not a nice gang member."  He moved out to the doorway.  "Yo, I'm from LA, dude."  The guy shot at him.  "I've seen toddlers do it better.  My three-year-old niece can shoot better."  The guy started to pull up his gun again but the cop behind him made him stop.  "Hi, guys."  He grinned.

"Sir, are you insane?"

"I'm a fantasy author."  He grinned.  Then he closed the door and walked inside.  "So, anyway."

She pointed.  "Crypt?"

"By the bandana."  He sat down again.  "So, anyway, you wanna talk about all that?"

"No."

"Neither did I."  He smiled.  "And yet what was it you said?"

"Sometimes you need therapy to get over things?"  He smirked at her and nodded.  "I'll be okay and I'm not as insane as you are, Xander."

"I try really hard but yeah, shit happened."

"I understand that very well."  She sat down then got up when the cops came to the door.  "Hey, guys."

"Detective Beckett?"

"On injury leave," she said.

"He said there was a small price on your head, Detective."

Xander pulled out his phone and called someone.  "Excuse me?  There's a *what* on Kate Beckett?" he demanded.  The man started to splutter and beg.  "You know, I'm having a really shitty week since Olivia's dad is back and I'm under a *crapload* of stress.  I'm *so* coming back there in a few hours.  Think you can find me someone to spar with?  I won't even bring the battle axe or the husband."  He listened.  "That'd be *great*!  Though, if it's the same bastard, I'd still like to talk to him.  I know, and he's pathetic, but yeah.  Thanks, man.  No, she's fine, Gregor.  Thanks."  He hung up. "Gregor's people will tell him that they're not suicidal so no one's going to try you for him again and if he wants to come into the open we'll gladly find him."  He grinned.

"Ma'am, is he threatening you?" the officer asked.

"No, he's an overprotective goofball who hunts demons."

"Oh, you're him."  Xander smiled and waved.  "Understood."

"I've wanted to talk to the guy that shot her anyway."

"My job," she said firmly.

He blew a kiss.  "After we beat his ass he can beg you for a merciful ending.  If you want it to be otherwise, you need to finish healing and come back to work.  Because I've never seen Esposito lose his temper like he did the other day."

She winced.  "On a suspect?"

"On the new captain, who by the way is a huge ass bitch."

"I'll take that as a warning."  She smiled at the officer.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome."  He left it in the hands of the violent one that wanted to destroy people for her pleasure.  He must be her boyfriend or something.

Xander grinned at her.  "I can make cocoa.  Joyce always said it'd help."

"Did she come back too?"

"Buffy and Willow got retrapped," he sighed, looking down then at her.  "Giles and Joyce had died over there."  She hugged him briefly then sat down.  "I'm still mentally messed up over all this.  I'm damn scared I'm going to end up losing Olivia.  Brad and Shannon are cute little biters but Olivia's special.  They're barely talking at the moment.  Daniel swears that they babble but they... they seem younger than Olivia.  Brad is nearly two and he's not really walking.  He'll crawl around but it's not like her 'I'm going to be little for mommy' thing Olivia had."

"It's possible being over there retarded some of their growth.  It's not like Daniel had books, tv, or learning trips to places like the grocery store."

"True.  I'm taking them to her pediatrician tomorrow with his consent."

"That's a good place to start.  If they do need some help catching up then she'd be able to refer you and the city has some of the best specialists in all fields."  Xander nodded.  "Did she take them shopping?"

"Oh, yeah.  Two thousand dollars of baby shopping."  Beckett winced and hissed.  "Mostly not clothes.  New carseats.  Shoes, clothes, all that.  Plus hair things and toys."

"She's a very generous girl."

"She's going to introduce them to the cats and already warned them about Dean's kitty wife being a bit mean to anyone but him."

She laughed, shaking her head.  "Olivia is very original."  He nodded.  "It'll be okay.  I doubt Daniel's going to move to Ireland with them."

"His mother demanded he did."

"Of course she did.  She's his mother."

"I know.  She told him he could leave Olivia and her magic taint over here for a bit though.  I heard her sobbing because both of the other two have some."

"Ow, poor Tara."

"By the way, she's having a few very telling mood swings."

"That's good.  She'll make an excellent mother and you'll fuss over her kid just as much."

"She wanted you to be in the delivery room because she's sure you'll make sure she doesn't stroke out from the pain or anything."

"I'll consider it.  I don't really want to see that miracle in action."

"Me either," he assured her, cracking her up more.  She had to rub her chest.  He got up and moved her, working on her shoulders.  "It's tension, Kate.  Let it go.  You're too tense in most manners of the word."  She shrugged but he kept going until she went limp.  "Does it still hurt?"  She nodded.  He moved her.  "Whoever did the stitches was stingy.  No wonder it's pulling."  She swatted him.  "You have a gap in the skin.  If you apply some aloe gel or lotion that'll ease that tension too."  He sat down.  "I like using peppermint stuff or the stuff for calluses on my scars."

"I haven't thought about that.  I thought about the bleaching stuff."

Xander shook his head.  "It'll make it a thin white line but it'll never fully go away."  She nodded at that.  "Did you do that to your other ones?"  She stared at him then shook her head.  "Then why that one?"

"It's ugly."

"It's proof of surviving, the same as the others are.  The same as all of mine are."

"The others I felt like I couldn't acknowledge if I bleached them out."  She looked at her chest.  "That's still huge and ugly."

"Actually, I've seen some that were worse from open heart surgery.  Remember, they used to open you like an autopsy scar."

"I don't want to think about that."

"I know."  He grinned.  "Lanie's been fussing at everyone.  Even Javier's been on the couch from her nagging."

She smiled.  "I'll call her later."

"You can call others too.  We'd all love to hear from you, talk to you, help you talk it out if you needed us to.  Even Tara, who might cry on you but she'd be more than happy to.  Olivia wanted me to give you a hug."  She smiled and nodded.  "It's been a good bit.  When are you going to quit hiding?"

She shrugged and leaned back, sipping her coffee.  "I don't know.  I'm not ready yet."

"When you are, you'll tell us and we'll have dinner.  Then Lanie and Tara can cry on you while Olivia and Shannon fuss over you."

"I can do that.  I don't know when it'll be."

"We both have phones, woman," he said dryly.

"At least Castle treats me nicer," she taunted.

"I could treat you like the one I want but Peter would be really mad."  He grinned.  "Some reporter asked me if I quit writing gay characters since I got together with Peter."

"Using it as the outlet for what you're not getting?"  He nodded.  "That's sad."

"I told her that I had plenty of gay characters, but some weren't stated yet and some were coming out soon."

"She's psycho."

"She's from one of the LA papers."

"Ah, that explains it."

He grinned.  "Careful, I'm from near there."

"You're not exactly the most well-wound person, Xander."

"I know but I'm more fun than most of them."  He grinned.  "And I've turned it into a profitable career."

"The dating thing or the writing one?" she teased with a smile.

"Both.  Peter's still amazed at what I have.  I told my financial guy to fully disclose to him today."

"That's probably a good idea.  Are some out of the country?"

"Yeah, a lot are in those nice places where the US can't get you for taxes on it.  And I have a vacation home in Brazil."

"That's wonderful," she said with a smile.  "I'm going to use it some day."

He got up and kissed her on the temple.  "Whenever you come back you have an open invitation."  He left her to think and drink more coffee.

She settled in to go over what he had said.  It was good advice and maybe she needed someone to talk to who had nearly been in the same spot.  She had to do mandatory counseling anyway.

***

Xander looked at the pediatrician the next day.  "Daniel and the babies came back."

"I can see that.  These are Olivia's siblings?"

"Yep."  He grinned.  "They've been in a pretty bleak environment.  No tv, no books, only stories told by mom, who's still trapped over there, and dad plus an auntie."

"Okay.  So we need to do basic checks, shots, all that?"

"Well, I'm a bit worried.  By the time Olivia was Brad's age she could walk, she was babbling."

"That could be stress."

"No, even around just Dad, because I sat on the stairs and listened.  Even he's noticed it."

"So you think that since they didn't have the extra stimulation that she did that they might be delayed?"

"I'm afraid to think so.  Shannon's about two months older than Olivia.  He's a year younger.  There's another sibling that Willow's carrying and I'm not sure why there was the gap."

"We can see.  I know a few good behavioral therapists if that's what they need.  I also think that Olivia will encourage them."

"I don't want her to get pushy with them though."

"That I agree with.  That'll take a delicate touch, which Tara has."

"Tara's going to give you a new baby to give shots to," he said with a grin.

"Aww, that's wonderful."  She put on some gloves.  "Hi, guys.  I'm your new doctor.  I'm going to pat and poke you a bit and listen to your chests and bellies."  She looked around.  "Dad?"

"Bonding time with Olivia.  He's not sure what he's doing yet."

"It'll be hard but you'll manage it, even if you do have to do some therapy on both sides."  He nodded.  She picked Brad first to listen to.  "Are they active like she is?"

"Magically?  Yeah.  Daniel said he fussed each and every time there was going to be an earthquake near them.  She's apparently got a danger sense."

She took off Shannon's shirt to check her over because it was a bit tight.  "Wonderful.  Is this mole a birthmark?"

Xander looked and moaned.  "Oh, shit."  She looked at him.  "That's the slayer mole."  She grimaced.  He called Faith.  "I need you at the doc's to compare moles with Shannon."  He hung up.  "If so he's going to have to guard the baby from all of them until she's old enough to train on her own."

"That's a good idea.  I know you guys hate each other."

"They had a price on my head for nearly five years, Doc."

She winced.  "Ow."  She got back to work with them.  She tested reflexes and giggling by tickling them.  Brad gave her a shy grin Olivia used to give her.  Shannon didn't.  Someone knocked and Faith walked in.  "Hi."

"Hi, Doc.  I pulled those stitches last week so I didn't have to bother you."  She stared.  "X, we've got probs."

"She's got the mole," he sighed.

"She's active."  Xander stared at her.  She nodded.  "It's the same feeling I get off B and Kinella."

"How?"

"New realm, only slayer left?" she guessed.  "Craptastic for her though."

Xander nodded.  "And I was thinking she was delayed slightly."

"She is," the doctor admitted.  "They're both about a year to a year-and-a-half behind."  Xander winced and turned to kick the wall.  Then he picked up Brad because he was fussing.  "It's something that can be cured."  Xander relaxed and nodded.  "Can you get that to pass on?"  Faith shook her head.  "So what do we do?"

"Baby karate," Xander said.  Faith nodded quickly.  "Plus some time with her aunties that have the same gift."  He grinned at Faith.

"I'm up for some babysitting sometime.  Grandpa John will be over the moon to have a girl who can hunt."

"Yeah, that's true."  She took the other one to cuddle.  "So, bad things, Doc?"

"Shots."  She smiled.  "Let me get those and the name of the therapist."  Xander nodded, sitting down with him.  She left and came back with a paper and a tray with needles.  "We'll start with their newborn shots today.  That's a few that they'd normally get at the hospital.  Then we'll do a few more each visit until they're caught up."

"That'll work," Xander agreed.  "Olivia gets hers next week."

"I saw that."  She smiled.  "Okay, four ouchies, guys."  She did them and they did fuss but no unusual immediate reactions.  "You know what to watch for?"  Xander nodded.  "Carefully expand their diet like you would one just starting real food."

"We will but last night he gummed on my cheeseburger and she had some of Peter's mild wings.  She likes garlic."

"That's fine."  She smiled and patted them both on the head.  "Two months?"  He nodded.  They left her to take care of other patients.  Xander made the appointment for them, and the one for the therapist while Faith got them buckled into the car.  Then the adults got in to drive off.

Daniel looked up from reading to Olivia with his cousin in the park when he heard the squeak.  "Hi, Shannon."  He hugged her.  "Hi, Brad."  He hugged him.  "This is your cousin George."  They smiled and waved at him.  "So?"

"We have an appointment with a behavioral therapist next week.  They got their newborn shots today," Xander said, flopping down in the grass.  Olivia climbed into his lap.  "The doc thinks that they're about a year or so behind and that it's probably reasonable with them not having the same sort of stimulation most kids get."  Daniel nodded at that.  "And we have an issue."

"With...." George asked.

"A mole on her shoulder."  He stared at Daniel.

"So?" Daniel asked carefully.  Faith sat down and pulled her shirt out of the way.  He stared then at Shannon's shoulder.  "Shite!"

"Yeah," Xander agreed.  "And she's active."

"She is.  She has the same feeling all of the others have."  She took her to cuddle.  "They don't pay any attention to me and Kinella, who got called when I got attacked.  This one....  We'll have to scare them off."

"No, if they try something, she has watchery sorts to train her.  John can probably train her," he told Daniel.  "Olivia calls him Grandpa and loves Dean and Sam.  It'd keep her away from the dickheads."

He smiled.  "That might help.  I need ta think about that."

"Of course you do."  He shoulder nudged him.  "The doctor thinks that the lack of stimulation is easily cured and we should be working them up like you do newly eating ones to real food."

"They can have fruit with me today," Olivia said.

"As long as we mush it up for them," Xander agreed.

"Good."  She smiled at her daddy.  "Do I like fruit because you like fruit?"

"You like fruit because you're real smart," he told her, taking her back to cuddle.  "Any other bad news, Xander?"

"Not at the moment."  He handed over the appointment slips.  Daniel groaned at one.  "It's covered.  They're already on Olivia's insurance and so am I."  Daniel looked at him.  "They canceled mine for being a writer and a demon hunter.  Apparently being a writer tipped me too high risk for them.  So Olivia has insurance and I'm on it as her parent and they're on it as her siblings.  It works for the company so I don't ask.  I just shut up and pay them."

"That'd work for me too," George agreed.

"It can't beat a demon plague's medical bills."

Daniel shook his head.  "No, it can't."  He hugged them to him.  "What about visiting my mother?"

"We've been trying to talk her into coming over here, even with me paying for it," Xander said.  "She's being cranky."

He laughed and nodded.  "My Ma is, yeah."  He smiled. "I'll talk her into it.  It'll be a good second honeymoon for them."  He kissed them all on the head.  "Now what?"

"The only thing on my schedule today is to pounce my man," Xander said with a grin.  "She'd usually be at daycare."  Olivia snorted.  "But I think the bonding is more important."

"Could be."  He grinned.  "You go get pounced and we'll bring them home in a few hours."

"Sure."  He handed him a few bills.  "For lunch."  He stood up.  "Faith?"

"I'm kosher at the moment."  She smiled.

"Okay.  Oh, Tara took back her library books so she's got new ones waiting on her in the potty."  He left, going home so he could do some pouncing.

Daniel smiled.  "It's nice that they're in goofy love."

"Very goofy love," Faith assured him, taking Olivia to hug.  "So, sprout.  Now what?"

"Lunchies?"  She grinned at her father.  "Then shopping?"

"You can go shopping with your auntie later," Faith said.  "We don't have your uncle's wallet."  She nodded, getting up and helping her siblings up so they could go off together.  Faith followed.

"We have her on a schedule since she won't potty train," George told Daniel, helping him up.  They picked up the few books to carry off.  "She gets a piece of candy or something as a treat and some reading time on the pot at home.  When you're out, she gets a later treat."  That got a nod.  "She keeps not realizing she needs to go."

"She's only three.  I was nearly five."

"That's her last big thing to master.  They're working on word things."  He led him back to the rental car they had for the day.  The fast food place with the play area got a grimace from his eldest niece.  "What?" he asked.

"It's okay but I wanted fruit."

"They have fruit things," he assured her.  She huffed but nodded.  "And salads since I know you like them so much."  She smiled at that and squealed, hugging him then running inside.  The other two followed.  Daniel followed all them.  George followed him with Faith.  It was going to be a long afternoon but Daniel would get to see how spoiled his baby girl was.

***

Daniel sighed as he sat down.  The kids were playing around them happily.  "She's so spoiled."

"We tried but now and then she does channel Buffy," Xander quipped.  "We're not sure why or how though.  Especially since Tara and I shop at thrift stores for most everything and we help her donate her old stuff."

"That's good," Daniel agreed.  "I was nearly five before I potty trained."

"We've been working on it now for ten months."

He nodded.  "It'll finally go sometime."  He leaned back, watching them play.  They weren't as lively and active as Olivia had been.  "Is it possible there's some extra spells on them?"

"I thought Tara removed them.  I won't interrupt her crying over dinner tonight to ask but we'll see tomorrow?  She's got it off anyway."  Daniel looked at her.  "She got knocked up in a dish."

"Oh, yeah.  I noticed the fussiness."  Xander grinned and nodded.  "That one?"

"Will be my minion of spoiling too."  He grinned.  "I taught Olivia how to fuss over sick people."

"She does it extremely well," Peter said from where he was typing.  "Her twitter people are worried."

Xander groaned but grabbed his own laptop to put up a message. "'Liv, your people on the computer want to know about your siblings."

She squealed and came over.  Xander taped it for her and they put it up.  Then she went to babble at her sister and brother about the people in the computer who knew she was pretty and smart.

"Seriously?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"He's very concerned about her safety," Xander said.  "Because he knows I'll kill him if he's not."  Daniel smirked at him.  "She interrupted an interview to talk about what wedding dresses Peter and I should wear.  The reporter thought it was beautiful and included it.  The next day, she had a few thousand people on twitter who think she's brilliant but a bit warped."

"Yeah, I think the same thing," Daniel agreed.  Xander showed him the wedding dress video.  He had it saved to his system.  Daniel burst out laughing, nodding.  "That's my girl."  He hugged her when she came closer.

"Daddy, you're wrinkling my prettiness."  She got free and got some grapes, bringing them out.  "Can they eat grapes?"

"Get me a knife so we can cut them up," Xander said.  She got him the covered ones that she was allowed to hand to a big person.  He got a bowl too and cut them into quarters.  That helped and the kids enjoyed it.

Daniel shook his head.  "They're insane."

"They're girls and they were warping Brad like I got warped by Willow too."

Peter laughed.  "Quite possibly." he smiled.  "Beckett?"

"Is having some deeper thoughts but we worked some things out.  I talked to Gregor about some people's idea that she was fair game.  I offered to blow off all my stress too."  He grinned.  "There's no longer a price on her head."

"Is good," Peter agreed. "I talked to him too when he called here.  Your ex is very boring and only thinks he is very tough."

Xander leaned over to kiss him.  "I have the better man.  I know very well I won the man olympics gold medal when I landed you."  He smirked. "Did the reporter in LA ask if you were writing het characters because you were with me?"

Peter snorted.  "Yes and I pointed out most spies are not gay, it interferes with the job when they cannot sex up other spies.  Though I did note that most of us are bisexual and picked for that benefit."  He smirked.  Xander kissed him again.

"Dean's heart's not here to get stronger from mushy," Olivia said.  "Baby sister and brother not need to get stronger either.  Be mushy for dessert."  She grinned at them and went back to her grapes.

Daniel shook his head.  "You're mouthy today."

"Most days," Xander admitted.  "Often on some."

"Smart babies will some day rule the world, like on that movie."  She grinned.

"You can't be an evil overlord, dear.  I'd spank," Xander assured her.  "Then you'd have punitive naps for *months* on end.  All the way through Christmas."  She whimpered and shook her head.  "So no being a bad girl who can take over the world."

"Yes, Uncle Xander."  She smiled.  "Can we have sleepover?"

"As far as I know only Dean's here so we have rooms."  She squealed and hugged him, dragging her father up to help her make up beds for everyone.  She introduced him to Dean's kitty wife too.  That way he didn't touch her things that smelled like Dean.

Xander looked at the other two, getting down to play blocks with them.  They liked that and it was good for them.  He'd help them be just as smart as their sister.

Peter smiled and got down to help.  The kids needed to be mouthy like their sister.

***

Daniel and Xander both met with the behavioral therapist after she got done talking to and playing with the kids.  Xander laid out the schedule they had used with Olivia, and the daycare they used knew that they needed some extra work.  Daniel went over what he could do to help them.  Xander made suggestions and she agreed with most of them.  The first thing was to get them walking, talking, and eating normally.  It wasn't the most unusual case ever but it was pretty close and it'd take some work.  She agreed with the general idea and their current plans.  Including on how to let Olivia help them.  She also had some ideas on the potty training thing when Xander asked.  So that might help too. 

They walked out into an ambush by two officers and a few cameras.  "Guys, is this really necessary?" Xander asked, putting on his sunglasses.  "Get the cameras away from Olivia's siblings, people.  Now."  They moved back.  "The same rules apply to them as they do to Olivia."  Most of the camera people nodded.  He looked at the two detectives.  "Did the Mayor make them follow you around?"

"No we saw them laying in wait for you," Javier Esposito said with a smirk.  "We figured we'd wait and make sure you made it to the car then go question our victim's ex."

"Cool, thanks."  Xander looked at the reporters.  "Two questions, and then we're going for ice cream."

"Is that Olivia's father?" one shouted.

"I am," Daniel agreed.  "I managed to get back a few days ago with the kiddies."

"Your wife?" one asked him.

"Still trapped there."

"We're still working on it," Xander said.  "Right now, only Willow and Buffy are missing from the LA team.  The rest were recently rescued and took back their city."  They nodded.  "The last one?"

"There's been reports you were mean and becoming bipolar.  Are you?" one asked in a perky voice.

"The day that Detective Beckett got shot, Peter and I were at a convention in Baltimore.  People kept trying to keep me from getting back here.  I was really stressed and I wrote out apologies to the airline staff."  He stared at her.  "No, I'm not bipolar.  Thank you."

"There was a reporter in LA that said you had an MPD shift."

"No, that was me falling into hunting mode.  If you knew any officers or soldiers they probably have the same thing."

"Oh."  She grimaced.  "So not cracking up?"

"Only laughing that you put on four inch, really ugly heels to come question me."  He stared at her.  "Because, girlfriend, my niece would howl about the ugly shoes."  He walked off with the Detectives following.  Esposito was cackling as quietly as he could.

"She would," Ryan agreed, shaking his head.  He grinned at Daniel.  "I'm Detective Kevin Ryan and this is one of my partners, Javier Esposito.  If Olivia was talking about an upcoming wedding it's mine.  She's really pushing to get to wear a pretty dress for it."

"She said something about that, yeah."  He shook their hands.  "Is that normal?"

"No, that's the reporter wanting to cure Xander of having Peter," Kevin said.  "It's not her first time."

"Olivia chides full grown women?"

"She's nagged a few that've pounced Dean that they weren't pretty in the really short skirts," Kevin said.

"She looked at one of the mothers at the daycare and asked if her she had the same job as the ladies on the corner up the street," Xander said.  "I had to stop her by putting a hand over her mouth but she had pegged it.  The lady looked like a ho."

"Olivia's a great girl.  We love Olivia, even when she does steal toys from Xander to give to me."  Kevin grinned.  "Is she ungrounded from that?"

"Yeah.  Why?"

"Jenny's cousins are coming in this weekend to meet me.  They have about seven kids.  We're doing it in the park and my nieces and nephews are going to be there too.  I was going to invite her to play."

"She likes your nephew Toddy.  Thinks he's a girl trapped in a boy's body," Javier said.

"His mother is so pissed at that."

"I can bring her by the park for a few hours," Xander offered.  "She's been mostly good and her dad will need some calming down time anyway."  Daniel nodded.  "That way your mom can beg for her as a grandchild again."

"Bro, his and my mom," Javier complained.

"Did you tell her I'm with Peter so she can't adopt her?"

"Yeah, she said if her father came back I should hit on him.  Or I should show up with a girl I've already knocked up so she can cry on her."

"You can ask Tara if she wants to play along."

"Nah.  Mom would sob on her."  He shook his head.  "Lanie's nowhere near that stage for greater thoughts."

"I'd lend you mine but we're not planning on that yet," Kevin quipped.

"You two are work partners?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah," they agreed.

"They're the best friend sort of partners, though someone did tell Kevin's girlfriend that.  So I got to use some of the warping by Willow and Buffy to help him."  He grinned.

Daniel shook his head.  "I thought the people in LA were insane."  They all cackled and Xander patted him on the back.  "Let's get the tots home.  Have a good time catching the bad guy, guys."  They nodded and left.  Once he and Xander were in the car with the babies he looked at him.  "Are you sure they're not together?"

"They say they're not."  He started the car then got out and got the babies out.  "Get my phone from the glovebox," he said hurriedly.  "Guys, clear back please, I just heard a click when I started it!"  They did and someone called someone.  Daniel went to the park with the kids, escorted by one of the officers.

The Bomb Squad truck pulled up.  "We sure?"

"No but it clicked and I didn't have anything on when I turned her off."  He handed over the keys.  "Two guns in the trunk.  One in the glove box."  That got a nod and they moved to carefully look it over.  At the whistle, Xander winced.  "Any clue?"

"One of the ones you got us the manual for from that Brazilian explosives chick," the guy under the car called.  "Thank you for those by the way."

"Welcome."  He crossed his arms over his chest.  "There's a few possible causes.  The usual death threats from the hate groups.  Someone from the Council who wants Daniel's kids."  They groaned.  "Or someone else who hates Peter."

"Too sophisticated yet not practical enough for a pro," the guy said, coming out from under the car with it.

Xander looked, tipping his head to the side.  "That's a part number from Alabama by the company's address."

He looked.  "So a church who hates you or the Council?"

"Yeah.  I'm not sure which.  Let me... you guys take the car?"  They nodded with a smirk.  "Thanks."  He got into the trunk and got his axe and two guns.  "Let me go tell Peter and then grab Daniel and the kids from the park."  He walked off shaking his head.  "We'll be home for days."

"Of course you will."  They shared a look and one called a wrecker while the other went over everything in the car.

***

Peter walked into a bar later that night and looked around.  Everyone pointed.  "I am not here for my nephew.  Who built the bomb?"

"Council people," someone said.  "Please go destroy them?  They want one of my cousins."

"Gladly."  He walked off calling a few people he knew.  Mickey walked out to join him.  "Secret society in England is not that unusual."

"No, but these ones are crackheads."

"Quite."  They shared a smirk.  "I will protect what is the family's."

"I'll help some people have fun."  He walked off humming.  It was finally going to be an interesting week.  Robert hadn't had a case in months.

Peter went home and came off the elevator.  "Is Council."

"They are dead," Xander said in Russian, staring at him.  "Even if I have to unleash the warehouse on them."

"Mickey has friends."

Xander beamed and blew a kiss.  "Good.  I like your nephew.  I'd never date him but I definitely like your family a lot."  He took a kiss and handed him a mug.  "Your fire escape buddy called."  He strolled off.  "Daniel has the kids in the warehouse looking around.

Peter called him.  "You called?"  He listened.  "Tell him he is unworthy of what is mine so therefore unworthy of her."  He hung up.  He finished his drink.  Then he went to have filthy, quick sex with his husband.  There were sometimes too many people in the house.  They had to end it when Olivia called up the stairs about wanting dinner.

***

Xander walked into the local demon council the next morning with the kids.  "This is the demon council's meeting area," he told them.  Brad was looking awed at all the strange people.  Shannon scowled at a few.  "They're not harmful, Shannon.  They would never hurt you or your family.  Or else I'd kill them."  She grinned at him.  He showed them the nursery, which caught Olivia's attention.  Then he took the other two to the meeting room.  "Morning."

"She's a slayer," one said firmly.

Xander looked and nodded.  "Faith noticed that and Kinella adores Shannon."  He grinned.  "These are Olivia's siblings you wanted to know about?"  That got a groan.  "If that's why the Council tried to blow me up, they're fucked."

"No, they had no idea about her.  They hate you again," the head of the Council said.  She stared at the children.  "They're quieter than their sister."

"We're working on that.  They didn't have too much stimulating things there.  No going places, no meeting new people, nothing beyond the little safe area they had."

"That is reasonable."  She leaned on the table to look at them.  "He's magically active."

Xander grinned.  "They're both active."

"Oh, dear," she sighed.

He knew that sigh.  "Prophecy I can warp?"  She nodded, having it sent in.  He read it and nodded, tucking the book under his arm.  "I'll send it back later."  He winked.  "Anyway.... Dad's figuring things out.  He's slowly getting closer to Olivia and getting used to her quirks. She's loving being a big sister."

"That's excellent."  They smiled and the babies grinned back.  "Be safe."

"I do have the warehouse," Xander reminded them with a feral grin.  "And explosives.  Beckett's not even in town if I need something."  He cackled as he walked them off.  Olivia came out scowling.  "What?  Auntie Kate can't complain if I need the pretty weapons to protect you guys."

She huffed.  "No cackling.  They might want you for being scary and you gave your scary cabinet to Unclie Rick."  She walked off with him.  She was good at pushing her siblings in the stroller.

"She's going to be a better driver than I am," one demon dressed like a cabbie joked.

Xander grinned.  "She can learn in school.  I'm not that strong."  The cabbie laughed and nodded.  Xander took them home.  "It's the Council," he announced.  "And not about Shannon."

"Crap," Daniel muttered from the couch.  The kids got released and they moved to play.  He watched.  His younger two weren't doing as good as their older sister and it made him sad, but they'd be learning a lot now.  He looked at Xander.  "Can I take tonight off?"

"Sure."

"You certain?"

Xander texted Peter and Paula both.  Peter said that they had dinner reservations but he thought it was for tomorrow, or it'd be for tomorrow.  Paula agreed it was clear.  "Yeah, Peter said we can go out to dinner tomorrow.  Paula said I don't have anything.  Go spend some time with George getting drunk, Daniel.  You need the destressing just like they do."  Daniel grinned and hugged the kids, telling Olivia that he was going out for the night.  Xander sat down to go over that prophecy again.  He emailed Wesley about it, who said it was iron clad and not even he could warp it.  He pointed out that if it was so ironclad they'd already be in deep.  Wesley moaned and asked if it was Olivia.  He said it was Shannon and he'd be helping train her with the Winchesters.  He agreed that was acceptable and he'd cover for her.  Then he realized it meant that they should've already had an attack so maybe it was a good thing to warp.  Xander called John.  "It's me."

"Hi, Grandpa!" Olivia called with a wave, but not looking at him and the phone.

"Olivia and her sibs said hi.  Including the one who Faith said feels real familiar."  He listened to John moan.  "Yeah, that's what I meant.  Here.  Daniel's out tonight.  She needs some work but she'll be okay.  And a prophecy too."  He grinned.  "Sure, I'm home."  He hung up.  "Grandpa will be over soon."  Olivia beamed and got up to go to the fridge.  "Didn't you just eat?"

"Grandpa never eats.  I'm making him salad."  She smirked.  "He needs salad."

"Fine.  I'm sure he'll appreciate it and if not you can have it for dinner."  Which was probably her intention he realized.  She was insane with her girl food.

***

Xander walked out to meet the person ringing his bell.  He stared at them.  "Yes?"

"Are you Mr. Harris?"

Xander stared at him.  Uptight suit.  English accent.  Clearly not a lawyer or diplomat.   "Shut the fuck up, Watcher.  I already know who you are."  The man stuttered.  Xander stared him down.  "What did you want?"

"One of our charges...."

Xander held up a hand.  "Let me make something *exceedingly* clear to you, dude.  I'm the same Xander that was helping Buffy, Kendra, and Faith."  The man nearly wet himself and started to shake.  "If there's a baby slayer within my family, she's *mine* to train and the Council had better back the fuck off.  Am I clear?  Because if I find another bomb on my car from you guys, there's no way I won't show up for a chat when I'm over there signing things."

The man swallowed and nodded.  "We did not...."

"This is the *warehouse*," Xander said dryly.

"Oh, then I suppose we did because we didn't like it being under your management."

"Yay.  You and a few crack dealers."  The man grimaced and shook his head.  "You leave me and mine alone and we don't have problems.  You come after me, anyone in my family grouping, including any of the LA team or Tara, and I'm going to make my hyena days look so fun."  The man nodded.  "Now," he said with a smile.  "Anything else?"

"No," he squeaked, backing up.  "Let me pass on that message."

"Sure."  He beamed.  "And if there's a slayer within the family grouping?  I know plenty of hunters and I've worked with three slayers, including the current two.  I'm pretty damn sure I can help train her."

"I'll report that."  He turned and fled.

Xander looked at the man in the shadows.  "She made you a salad."

"That's about usual for Olivia," John agreed, stepping out.  "What a weenie."

"Yup.  Want to go work on Shannon with me?  Brad's sleeping."

"Sure."  He followed him up.  Xander did splash him with holy water in the elevator and by the time they got up there, the smoke was already floating out and heading for the balcony doors.

"Eww, stinky demon butt smoke."  Olivia opened the doors. "Out before you make me less pretty and I have to turn into Unclie Dean!"  The demon fled.  "Thank you for cooperating!"  She shut the doors again and bounced over to hug him.  "Hi, Grandpa.  I made you a salad because you never eat."  She beamed.

"I'll eat it while I see how Shannon's doing."

"Okay!"  She bounced off to get it for him and the bottle of salad dressing he usually liked. 

John went over what she could do.  Olivia taught her how to use her nerf crossbow.  That was cool with the baby slayer.  John also showed her how to stretch properly.  Olivia and Brad got the same lessons.  They were more than happy to be stretching.  John ate between things to keep Olivia happy.  The other two got some of it too though, because he loved them enough to let them pick up their sister's food habits.  It'd save his body from the roughage.  They wore all three kids into a nap there on the rug.  John groaned as he pulled himself up onto a couch.  "Prophecy BS?"  Xander showed it to him.  "Crap."

"Yup."  He grinned.

"We'll let Sammy work on the warping this time.  I think you infected him."  Xander smirked.  Peter came off the elevator.  "Holy water?"

Xander kissed him.  The demon in Peter fled with a shriek.  Peter shrugged.  "I enjoyed it."  He took another one then sat down.  "They're napping?"

"We wore them out," John said proudly.

"Nice work."  He settled in next to Xander.  "How can we help them?"

"We need to do what we did when we first got Olivia," Xander said.  "Working them up to it."  They nodded.  "Then we'll work on things like special training so Brad's able to shield from the Mother Goddess.  So Shannon's able to hide what she is so she's not attacked.  Olivia on learning how to be more subtle."

"She is nicely blunt.  I never worry what she is thinking," Peter said.

"Me either."

John nodded.  "She's got a one-track mind usually."  They all sighed and Xander checked his wallet.  John laughed.  "Did she go shopping?"

"She tried to steal it earlier so her daddy could take them shopping."

"He had sense?" Peter asked.  Xander nodded.  "Is good.  She would bankrupt a full country shopping."

"She learned where the mythical kingdom of Tiffany's is," Xander sighed.  "Martha told her."  They both groaned.  "I made Martha and Alexis tell her how that was a mythical store for princesses to shop at when they were ready to take on their kingdoms or getting married to a prince.  That was Alexis' idea."

"She'd bankrupt everyone in there."

Xander nodded. "Martha took her to look at things."  John shivered.  "They all thought Olivia was just adorable and had excellent taste."

Peter cuddled Xander.  "She is not that sort of princess at the moment."

"No, she'll turn into Cordy before that sort of princess."  He rested his head on his mate's shoulder.  "John, anything I could be doing?"

"No, so far it's a good plan.  She needs all that first and we can easily protect her until she's older."  That got a joint nod.  "Let me tell the boys."  He took the book to photocopy in the office and left, going back to the apartment.  Dean was sulking.  "Your cat came down to greet me."

"That's good."  John handed him the prophecy.  "Who?"

"Shannon."

"Fuck."

"Basically.  We're working on it though."

"Even better."  He got up and typed it into their computer to Sam's email.  He could check that on his phone wherever he was.  He and his father sat down to work on the prophecy issue.  Xander wasn't the only one that could warp one.

***

Sam, who was being held hostage by some watchers, heard his phone ring.  One smirked.  "It's my brother wondering if I'm making it home for dinner."

"No, you're not," he sneered.  "Probably not ever again for being so problematic, boy."

That was when SWAT busted in with Kinella.  She strolled in after them.  She even got to knock a few watchers around.  She stared at them.  "I am the last slayer called," she announced.  One gasped.  "The Council is not wanted by any of the slayers any longer.  You have defiled us and our calling as well as your own."  She cut Sam free.  "No single being can be everywhere to handle every problem.  Those of us who actually do the work appreciate the hunters because they help us.  That way it's not a solo duty that makes us die before it's our time."  She sneered at them.  "Never come back after us.  The slayer essence knows of your misdeeds.  It told me before Faith did."  She walked Sam out.  "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Kinella.  Thank you."  He grinned at her.  "Most of the hunters appreciate you girls too."  She grinned back.  Sam let the ambulance driver check him over and signed the form.  Then he stood up beside her.  "Are you going to LA with one of the hunters?"

"I had plans of it."  She winked.  "Gunn is adorable."

"He's single too."  She smirked at him.  "Just be gentle and make sure he's not dating Fred."

"I can do that."  She waved.  "Have fun in hell.  It's where you belong."  One of the SWAT guys came over to talk to her.  Sam got into his phone, finding the email.  He sent one to John, who sent one back through Dean.  He nudged her and handed her that message.  She read it and handed it over.  "None of the slayers want them any longer.  They are a bane and an anathema to our calling.  They make us leave the proper path of hunting for their puny minded and penis'd ways."  They nodded, making note of that.  And of the other email he had open.  She looked then at him.  "Who?" she demanded.  Sam mouthed it.  She growled.  "Over their dead bodies!  They've been taking charge of baby future slayers for years and ruining them!  I'll be damned if they're going to do it again!  Especially not to that one!"

The SWAT guy smiled.  "What?"  She spat it out in her native language.

One of the officers looked over.  "In the US, ma'am?"

"A few probably are.  We have no idea.  They're British."

He grinned.  "The Council people?"  She nodded.  "Well, fuck them then.  No one steals a kid around here and doesn't get punished."  The SWAT guy stared at him so he translated what she had said.

"Yeah, we'll look into them and if we can't, there's an FBI agent somewhere that would love to."  She smiled and walked Sam off.  "Please be safe," he called, finishing up the report.  Once he got back to the office, dragging that translating officer with him, his boss got a sit down report.  His boss was not happy.  Especially since they had tried to bomb Harris.  They put a car on Tara's house and the two detectives he worked with most of the time. 

The other was listed as injured but out of town so they just phoned her to warn her.  Then the boss called his cousin, who was ATF.  Even if it wasn't their job, they could pass it to whoever they wanted to.  He showed up to get that information.  By the time he left, he was pissed off and there were Homeland guys and FBI guys in his personal phone book who'd hate to have their dinner interrupted but yay.  One of them called someone in the State Department.  That one showed up with a partial file already started.

When someone tried to stop some of the problem solving going on, they got arrested too.  Pity about the Treasury guy who was in debt to a demon.  They found out that he had been screwing with Harris too so they fixed that as well.

By that morning there was enough paperwork done to make sure this investigation never went away no matter who was sucking which demon's cock.

***

Daniel came home the next morning and found Olivia up without any adult.  "Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked quietly, sitting down and pulling her into his lap.

"Probably."  She kissed him on the tip of the nose.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine.  I needed a night out to calm myself down."

"Just don't get lost again," she said, staring into his eyes.  "You're my only daddy."  He cuddled her.  She snuggled in.  "Are we staying with Uncle Xander?"

"For right now," he agreed.  "I have no idea after that."  She patted him on the chest.  He grinned.  "You're a great and good girl."

"Yes I am."

He tickled her.

Peter came downstairs with a gun in his hand then sighed.  "Olivia."  She squeaked and looked over Daniel's shoulder at him.  "Be less loud?  The others are napping."

"Sorry."  She grinned.  "I made juicies."

Peter looked at the juicer that she had sat on the floor and the pitcher in the right spot.  It had a lot of red juice.  "The strawberries?"  She smiled and nodded.  "Nice job.  Rest for now.  We have an hour before we have to get up."  He went back upstairs.

Olivia looked at her daddy again.  "If you ever get lost again I'm going to make Shannon be the mean and not as pretty one so she can beat you up for me."

He smiled.  "I'll expect that if I ever get lost again."  She snuggled in again.  "Are you allowed to make juice?"  She shook her head.  "Then we'll make sure your uncles aren't mad later."

"Won't be.  They need breakfast."  She grinned.  "Then they have to talk about wedding so I can wear a pretty dress and so can they."

"Boys wear suits."

She snorted and waved a hand.  "Boys have to wear dresses so they're beautiful on their special day.  They need to be pretty too."

He kissed her on the head.  "You're a bit warped, dear."

"It's from Mommy."

Daniel looked at her.  "Did your uncle say that?"

"No.  But Mommy was.  Even the demons agree I'm warped because Mommy was sometimes a stupid head.  They wanted to make sure I didn't do bad things like she did.  I don't though because Auntie Tara makes sure I'm a good girl."  She grinned and played with his shirt buttons.  "Uncle Xander said that everyone has stupid head days, it's the days I get grounded."

"Could be," he agreed.

"One of the council members told her that," Xander called.

"Did you yell?"

"Yup."

"Thank you."  He looked at her.  "Your mother is human and all humans are imperfect," he said quietly.  "The same as you and I aren't perfect."

"I know.  I wouldn't have accidents if I was."

He cuddled her.  "Those'll end too.  I was nearly five, pumpkin."  She grinned. "You're smarter than me though so you'll get it sooner than I did."  She kissed him on the tip of the nose again and snuggled in.  She floated over a book.  "Should you do that?"

"No.  I'm too lazy to get up.  The kitties woke me because they were hungry."

Daniel shook his head.  "We can feed them."

"I opened some wet food and put them in the bathroom because one was howling."  She opened the book and let it read to them.  Daniel sniffled and hugged her hard.  Xander had told him she had done that but she had gotten his voice exact.  He heard a thump.  "I'm down here, Brad."  The baby crawled down the stairs and over to them, letting him pull him up beside them.  Brad snuggled in and listened to.  "Shannon, are you up?" he called quietly.  She babbled noise but came down to cuddle.  Olivia floated over another book that would read to all of them.  It made her daddy and siblings feel better.

Brad pulled over his sister's hand to suck on.  That made him happy and they were all cuddly so Shannon and his other sister were happy.

Daniel smiled at his horde of kids.  They were all great.  Peter came back down the stairs and took a picture on his way to start coffee.  He picked up the juice machine and pitcher of strawberry juice.  Daniel pointed at the bathroom.

"I heard the howling," Peter admitted, going to let the cats out.  Then he went back to making breakfast.  Xander wobbled down to help, taking a kiss from Peter on his way.  "Cats were in bathroom."

"She can stay inside today," he decided.  Peter nodded.  They fixed a huge breakfast, because the kids needed eggs to be less nibbly later.  Brad was teething and bit really hard.

Dean's cat hopped up to stare at Olivia.  "Next time don't wake me up at the buttcrack of dawn," she ordered with a scowl.  "Then you won't be in the bathroom."  She pulled her over to cuddle.  "I'm so glad you can't give Uncle Dean babies.  They'd be furry and weird."  Xander snickered.  "Bagels?" she asked hopefully.

"Toast.  Eggs.  The juice you made."

"Bagels?" she begged.

"Grounded anyway," Xander quipped.  "For locking the cats in the bathroom.  Next time wake me up."

"Yes, Uncle Xander."  She huffed but cuddled in again.  It meant she'd get to play with her siblings all day instead of daycare and that was fine with her.  They had to learn to love her like the people in the computer did.

Daniel shook his head.  They had clearly warped Olivia a lot but she was a lot like her mother.

***

Tara looked up from kicking someone in the library, smiling at their security guard.  "He pulled a knife on me and said I'd never do another spell again."  She kicked him again with a grin.

"Miss Maclay, are you all right?  Usually you're not this violent," the guard said gently.

She rubbed her stomach.  "It's Xander's next minion of spoiling."

"Ah!"  He nodded.  "My wife's had two, dear.  Why don't you sit before your ankles swell and I'll have him arrested?  Is his knife under him?"  She floated it over where she had thrown it into a shelf.  "Thank you.  Go sit and put your feet up for a few minutes.  Swelling ankles made my wife miserable both times and kept her from working a few days."

She hugged him.  "Thank you for handling him for me."  She went back to the desk.

The guard wisely called the detectives Tara liked to work with.  They'd adore this one.  They asked him a question so he looked down at the idiot.  "Are you Council?"  The guy could only moan.  "No clue, Detective.  He's only moaning."  He hung up and waited.  The head librarian came in from lunch and stared at the guy on the ground.  "How far along is Miss Maclay?" he asked quietly.

She winced.  "I wasn't aware she had finally went in for it."  He pointed at the guy.  "Threatened her?"

"With a knife.  She's put her feet up so her ankles don't swell."

"That's a good idea."  She walked off happier with that idea.  "Tara, dear, when are you due?" she called as she walked past where she was dusting.

"I'm in my second month."  She beamed.  "This one's going to be a spoiler just like Olivia.  Xander and I will make sure of it."

Her boss smiled.  "Congratulations, dear.  Was he a mood swing?"

"He threatened me with a knife!"  She snorted and waved a hand.  "He was kind of pathetic too."

"That's fine.  Let me know if there's another one.  All right?"  Tara beamed and nodded.  "Good girl.  You finish dusting and I'll man the desk."  She put down her jacket and things, moving to the desk.  When the phone rang and it turned out to be a nosy reporter she said that they did not make statements about Tara's personal life, to ask her or Xander.  Then she hung up.

Tara strolled past.  "I'm announcing it on Olivia's twitter feed."  She beamed.  "They love Olivia's siblings now too."  She grabbed her phone and sent that message then went back to her dusting and helping kids pick out books based on what Olivia had loved.

Her boss smiled at the woman walking up to the desk.  "Ready to check out?"  The woman pointed a gun at her.  "Oh, dear.  We don't have money or anything."  She winced when she felt the wind whip past her and that woman started to shriek, then suddenly the noise was silenced but she was still hollering.  The wind pushed her back out the door and down the stairs into the street.

Javier Esposito got out of the car and picked up the guy.  "Hey, Merry."

"She's mean," she whined.

"Tara's pregnant, Merry," Kevin said with a smile.  "She's giving Xander a new spoiling niece of nephew.  And you just pissed off the scary pregnant woman with magic."

"Oops," she said in a tiny voice. "I'm really sorry.  Can I ...run or something?"

"Hell no.  You pulled a gun in a library," Javier said, hauling her up to handcuff her.  "We'll let the block doc look you over."  He put her in the car and Kevin went in to get the other guy.  "What did he do?"  He looked at his partner.  "She still a bit breezy?"

"Just a tiny bit.  It's presently fixing her hair."  He smirked at him.  "He was threatening that Tara would never use magic again to save all our butts."

"Bro, that's so stupid of him," he decided, smirking at the idiot.  "I'm telling Xander.  He's *very* stressed since Olivia's father finally got found with her siblings."  The man shrank down and they put him into the car.  They took them to Taylor, who they had been told was handling Beckett's job with the demon community.  Flack was there when they handed them over.  "He threatened the pregnant witch not to use magic again and for some reason she pulled a gun in the same damn library," Esposito said with a smirk.  "Have fun with them.  Her name's Merry, like in Christmas, Evans."  They walked off.

"Tara's pregnant?" Taylor called.

"Two months," Ryan called with a wave back at them.

Taylor texted John Winchester about anything they should worry about with her mood swings.  He could probably talk to her about them safely enough.  Flack got to process those two for arrest.  Taylor went to take an advil, a tums, and a large glass of milk.

***

Olivia was out with her daddy alone when someone bad came up to them.  He knocked her daddy out.  "You mother fucker!" she shouted, thinking really hard about how she floated books to move him.  "Help!  He hurt my daddy!"  People came running.  One of them grabbed her so she kicked him.  "That's my daddy, you don't touch me!"

"I'm taking you to safety," he said.

"No!"  He went flying across the street.  "Not the family!"  An officer ran over.  "That's my daddy!" she said with a point.  "He hurt him.  That one tried to take me!"

"Okay, Olivia, calm down," the officer ordered.  "Let me handle it."  He called in for backup and someone to call someone in the family group.  "Did he hit your daddy on the head?"  She sniffled and nodded.  "We'll get him an ambulance and I've told Dispatch to call your uncles.  Okay?"  She nodded, hugging his arm.  "For now, can you let me go so I can arrest him?  Let him down so I can put him in handcuffs and then I'll give you a hug?"  She nodded, pouting at him.  He flopped down with a groan.  "Good girl, thank you."  He arrested him.  More officers showed up.  The ambulance hadn't yet.  "Can someone call her uncle, aunt, someone?"

"No answer at home," one said.  He looked at her.  "Let's go to the station where your aunt and uncles work.  That way they can watch you?"

She looked at him.  He felt funny to her.  "You don't feel like a good guy.  You feel really mad."

"I had a fight with my wife over stupid things, I'm not mad at you," he assured her.  She looked at the first officer.

"You can trust him or else your Uncle Xander will kick his butt.  I'll make sure your daddy gets to the ER to have his bump looked at and then bring him to the house or the detectives."

She nodded.  "Okay," she said quietly.  She went with the angry feeling one.  "No carseat?"

"I don't have one that'll fit you.  I think it'll be okay on the way to the station though.  You're pretty big."  She nodded, climbing into the back when he opened the door.  He helped her buckle in then walked around to get in and drive.

***

Olivia was walked into the building.  "This is not the station!"

"Shut up," the fake officer ordered.

"I need the potty!  Before I have an accident!"

"You can hold it."

"No I can't!"

He sneered.  "You're not that old?"

She kicked him on the shin.  "I'm still working on it.  Potty training is hard!"  She kicked him again.  "I need the potty."  Someone grabbed her by the hair and she reacted.  They knocked her out but did toss her into the bathroom to lock her in there.

"She's feisty but we'll end this menace to the Council," the sneering officer's partner said.

"I hope so."

***

Tara lifted her head.  "Someone just hurt Olivia."  Her boss made shooing motions.  She called Xander on the way.  "Someone hurt Olivia.  I can't!  I think she's knocked out!"  She grabbed her jacket and ran for the door.

***

Xander listened.  "Okay, only a few people it could be.  Do a location spell, Tara.  You have one set on her."  He hung up and threw his phone.  Then he picked it up and did a conference call.  "People, someone took Olivia.  Tara said she just got knocked out."

"Someone filed a report that a mugger knocked out her father," Dean said.  "Came over the police band scanner.  "They sent her with an officer.  They were supposed to be calling you from what it said."

"Get ready to meet me and stop me, Peter.  I'm going to lose my fucking mind."  He hung up and called someone else.  "Esposito, who took Olivia from wherever Daniel got knocked out?  And send someone to watch the tots.  Now.  Tara said Olivia's knocked out, that's why."  He heard the swearing start.  "Who?"  He nodded, packing an action kit.  The kids he was babysitting were watching.  "Please.  Thank you.  Within a second's notice at the moment.  I'm packing now."  He hung up and packed a few extra things.  Be damned if Beckett would even stop him this time.

Rick came off the elevator a minute later.  "They used the tracker on the car he stole.  It's there.  SWAT is already heading."

"They can stop me too," he muttered.  He kissed the kids on the head.  "Let me save your sister."  He left, going down to the car.  Peter was waiting beside it.  "C'mon."

"I can drive."

"Sure.  That way I can make sure my guns are loaded."  He got in and Peter did drive.  Xander slid him a few extra guns and a knife.  Peter smiled at him for that thoughtful gesture. "I'm so wanting to kill someone."

"Me as well.  Stay calm, we will get her."

Xander nodded.  "I hope so."  They made it there and SWAT was already inside.  "Shoot, I won't get to kill anyone."  He got out and walked over to one of the kneeling people.  "Where is my niece?"

The man sneered.  "It won't matter."  Xander pulled out something and he scooted back.  "I know what that thing is."

"I built that thing."  He smirked.  "Olivia is like my daughter.  Speaking of, who are you with?"

"Harris," one of the SWAT guys called.

"Bite me for the second."  He tossed the grenade up and then caught it.  "Five more seconds and it's going down your pants."  He stared at him.  "Who.  Are.  You.  With?"

"The Council wanted this whole group eliminated!" the other shouted.  The first glared at him.  "You're an abomination and a threat to them!"

"Only if you screw with me," Xander said.  "The same as it was back in Sunnydale."  He stared at them.

Peter looked at the grenade then at them.  "Is over too soon."

"It's a poison gas one," Xander said with a grin for him.  "It's based on a demon chemistry formula.  It'll take about six days for them to die as their lungs are eaten cell by cell."  He looked at them again.  Even the SWAT guys were looking scared.

Tara walked behind him.  "If that's the gas one, it's still over too soon.  Willow's books had a spell that does it more slowly."

"Yeah, but I should not cast magic," he reminded her.  "And neither should you right now, dear."

"Good point."  She stared at them.  Then up.  "Do I have any poker debts?" she asked herself.

"I do," Xander admitted.  "Nothing that harmful though."

"There is a warehouse in London," Peter said.  "It has a guardian as well.  You could talk to your fellow guardian."

"I probably could," Xander agreed.  "We'll be over there in a few months anyway for the book tour."

One of the SWAT captains that had worked a few of the battles against demons walked over to stand between them.  "She's fine, Harris.  She was in the bathroom.  She had an accident and is a bit embarrassed.  She's worried about her daddy.  The officer who sent her off with this one is very sorry, he didn't know.  Can you calm down a tiny little bit?"

"Would you?"

"No," he admitted.  "But I'd be cuddling her by now and then I'd kill them."  He took the grenade and grabbed the pin from the ground.  "I want the recipe for this."

"Sure.  I can share that."  He smirked.  "Are you sure I can't kill them since the Council keeps coming back?"

"Oh, hell no," a familiar Homeland agent said as he walked up to them.  "That's my fun, Harris.  I haven't had any fun since you quit dating."

Xander huffed.  "Can't I just kill them a tiny bit?"

Tara hugged him.  "Let's get Olivia."  He pouted but nodded, heading in there.

Peter looked at the agent.  "I could ask for temporary immunity."

He considered it.  "I'll sell him to the demon brothel owners in Siberia if he gets out of jail.  How about that?"

Peter smirked.  "I know many who would like to visit them and hurt them a lot."  He followed his spouse.  "Your temper is very warm," he said quietly, staring at him.  "Cold temper is better."

"My overheated temper keeps me going even when I'm exhausted," Xander admitted.

"We can work on temper," Peter said, taking Olivia to cuddle.  "Is all right.  It happens and is not your fault."

"Daddy?"

One of the SWAT guys leaned in.  "He's with the detectives your uncle works with, sweetie.  We're bringing you there."  She nodded, snuggling in.  Xander and Tara wrapped Xander's overshirt around her middle so she could quit being so embarrassed.  "C'mon, guys.  We'll even drive."  Tara pouted.  "I have no idea how you got here, ma'am, but we'd like you guys to sit in the back and cuddle the baby.  I won't even mention the lack of a carseat or any weapons."  He led them to Xander's car and drove them to the station.  Then he went to have a drink.  He had lived through the possible destruction of Manhattan, it was time for a beer.

Xander walked into the station and to the elevator, waving at the desk guy.  "Giving a statement."

"Her father's already up there with Sam Winchester," he assured them.  "He brought her something to change into in case they needed it for evidence."

"Cool."  Xander knew he sounded tired.  They came off the elevator and he let Olivia run to Daniel to fuss over him.  Sam and Detective Ryan got her to the bathroom with Daniel to change so they could bag her clothes.  "The Council," he said.

"Beckett called.  She said if you got into the artillery she'd be scowling at you but she understood why you wanted it," Javier said, staring at him.  "The NYPD is a great system."

"I'm still going to kill them," Xander vowed.  "I've had enough."

"There's a group of agents that are looking forward to the same thing," Javier said.  "Everyone from State to ATF to FBI and a few in the CIA that you used to date are really pissed off on everyone's behalf."  He put Tara into a chair.  "You, sit.  You're too delicate to fight."  She scowled.  He stared at her.  "How often did you say that Willow doing magic during her pregnancy caused problems?"

"I'm not doing that sort of thing."

"Good!"  He handed her a mug of coffee and let her sit and relax.  "Peter, can you disarm your mate?"

"Not in public."

"Go use the bathroom," he said with a point.  "Xander knows where it is.  He did stitches in there once thanks to the Council trying to shoot him on the street."

Peter nodded, taking him that way to calm his mate down.

Olivia came out in pants, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, her favorite t-shirt and sneakers on.  She stared at her auntie.  Then at her detective uncle.  "Are the bad guys gone?" she demanded, tapping a foot.  "They're mean and might hurt my baby sisters and brother."

"You only have one sister," Javier said.  She pointed at Tara.  "Oh, that one.  Are you sure it's a sister?"

"The world needs more girls so the world's a prettier place," she said with a growl.  "Not working!"

"There's a whole bunch of agents working to make sure the bad guys are stopped," Kevin said.  "Including some of the scary ones that wanted to date your Uncle Xander.  One of them had a tantrum in DC that nearly got a mall shut down."

She looked at him.  "Scary, drooly one?"

"Yeah, one of them."

She looked at her daddy.  Then at her uncle.  "I get to kick them in the ankle for hurting my Daddy.  And for making Unclies and Aunties worry."

"Xander already did," Tara said, taking her to cuddle.  "We're so glad you're all right."

She looked around.  "Is uncle being mushy?"

"Uncle Xander is calming down his temper before he flies to England to get the people who hurt you.  He and Uncle Peter are cleaning weapons."

"Ooooh."  She blinked at her uncles.  "You sure the scary people can kick their butts?"

Daniel took her to cuddle.  "That's their job, pumpkin."

She looked at his forehead then kissed the bruised spot.  "Is Uncle Xander's job because they're stupid heads who want to hurt me and my siblings."  She cuddled him as hard as she could.  "They need paddled."

"They're going to get spanked plenty," Xander said as he came out, laying a hand on her back.  "They might even call your mommy back to save them."

She looked at him.  "She won't save them because they tried to hurt me.  And they made me have an accident."

He kissed her on the top of the head.  "That means that they'd be begging extra hard."  She relaxed and went back to cuddling Daniel.  Daniel was giving him the same 'dad' scowl he used on Olivia.  He pointed at Tara.  "She taught Olivia to kick bad guys on the ankle."

"Tara," Daniel complained.

She looked at him.  "Someone tried to mug us."

He sighed and shook his head.  "Maybe LA is safer."

Olivia looked up, shaking her head.  "No.  We need Uncle Xander and Auntie Tara.  They love us and take care of us and make sure we're okay.  They teach us a lot of things like words and about salads.  We stay with Uncle Xander."

"We can go back to LA so you can bond with Auntie Fred," he offered.

She stared at him.  "They move out here anyway someday.  Too many gross, stinky demons that don't like Auntie Fred being so smart."  She put her head back down.  "Uncle Gunn can move the whole gang out here after the next fight."  She yawned.

Xander was gripping his forehead, wincing and holding onto Peter with his free hand.  Peter helped him into a chair and rolled it off with Esposito to see what he had seen.  Xander only saw apocalypses, outside that one time for Beckett, so it was probably going to be nasty.

Their homeland liaison agent showed up, looking around.  "He's not hovering?"

"He's having a vision," Tara said quietly.  Olivia was asleep and still clinging, and Daniel was doing the same thing.  "Them?"

"Very big trouble.  Though the British government has asked that Xander not show up in their country for his upcoming book tour because they didn't want to see the Council try for him again, like on his last trip there, and him having to blow them up this time, because he said he was going to if they tried again."

Kevin Ryan smirked at him.  "I'm told they barely stopped him today."

"They barely stopped me today and I'm not usually violent.  It's been a bad day," she said, starting to sniffle.  She got handed the tissue box.  "Thank you, Kevin."

"Welcome, Tara.  Sam, take Tara to her place and guard her today," he ordered.  Sam nodded, helping her up and taking her home.  He sighed when his partner came back.  "His vision?"

"Sucks badly and I'm damn glad I never wanted to visit LA because it won't be there in a few months."  He handed over his notes to the Homeland agent.  Who went pale and nodded once.  "Peter and he are hoping this is the one time he's wrong."

"Yeah, me too."  He called his boss.  "Harris just had a vision.  I need O'Neill to hear it too, sir.  Twenty-five to the local office."  He hung up.  "Let me tell them."  They nodded.  "You get Harris calmed down at home with her and her dad."  He left, hurrying just a bit.  Half of the west coast being killed was a pretty bad thing.  Definitely a terrorist action.  He walked into the office and to their communication room.  "It's a priority, highly classified talk," he announced, clearing the room.  He called and uploaded the notes.  "Someone is going to use Sunnydale's hellmouth to kill the west coast.  How do we stop that?"

His boss read the notes.  "How accurate is Harris?"

"He was off by a day on the invasion but I was warned he was translating it from the Hebrew calendar," Jack O'Neill said from his office.  He read over the notes.  "Crap.  The LA team?"

"Mostly back.  Outside Summers and Rosenburg," the local homeland agent said.

Jack nodded.  "I'll be in LA tomorrow.  Join me."  He hung up.

His boss nodded.  "Thank you for the warning.  Stop it however you have to."

"I can do that.  By the way, the Council just stole Olivia Rosenburg.  Thankfully they stopped Harris from using a chemical gas that's demonic in origin and eats lung cells one by one."

"I want that recipe."

"We're all going to be working on this that he'd trust to hand it to.  I don't want it to go to anyone he might've dated, sir."

"I can understand that.  Who has he worked with?"

"Epps in LA.  He's FBI.  That ATF team in Denver that was looking at his weapons sources."

"Get them."  He hung up.

He called their office to talk to their boss.  The boy would appreciate someone he knew wasn't going to use it taking the formulas from him.  And the weapons he had built.  He hoped.

***

Xander brought the book with him to the station.  He had told the SWAT guy he'd be there so the detectives could have a copy.  He was informed that someone ATF would be there as well.  Which was fine he guessed.  He walked in with the heavy book, nodding.  "Thanks for the help the other day."

"Is she all right?"

"She's still fussing over Daniel's booboo.  She's not leaving his side until she's certain all the bad guys have been at least kicked on the ankle and arrested."

"That's reasonable. The guy who said to go with that officer is real sorry."

"She knows he didn't know.  It's cool.  It's a reasonable order to give and he thought he was a real one.  I probably would've agreed."  That got a smile and a nod.  "Let me share demon chemical formulas."  He went upstairs, finding someone interesting.  "Hi, I remember your other self, Agent Standish."

He smirked.  "That is why they sent me to look at what you have."

"Well, I have a demon chemistry book and my notes."  He handed them to him.  "I had to take that class three times to understand it."  He looked at the SWAT guy.  "Even if I gave you the formulas, you couldn't do anything with it without the book work first."

"Is that because this is not our periodic table?" Ezra asked, studying it.

"Yeah.  A lot of it's based off other-realm science.  It goes into strange physics."

"That gas?" Esposito asked.  Xander took the marker from his hand and wrote out the formula.  He studied it.  "I have no idea what half of those are."

"Which is why I never turned it over.  There's maybe six people on this plane that could understand that.  And I barely made it through the book to understand why I needed to learn how to make them."  He wrote out another one.  "Their gunpowder.  Twice as strong in a quarter of the space."  He looked at the SWAT guy.  "Even Peter didn't know about this stuff."

"It came from the Warehouse?" Ezra guessed.

"The book was one that I was told I had to learn by the demon that helped set them up and protects them as a neutral entity that no demon will ever try to destroy.  It houses things that even they don't want to see in the open, though I'm told a good part of those are in one of the European ones."  He looked at the guys.  "I did a sneaky thing once and talked to Doctor Epps, Don Epps' brother.  I remember him talking about how his brother was a math genius during the shutting down of Sunnydale."  He winced and rubbed his forehead.

"Vision?"

"Flash.  The demon council out there is having a hissy."  He called.  "It's Harris, put me on now."  He listened.  "Because I'm the one that had the damn vision so put me the fuck on now."  They apparently transferred him over.  "Did we not hear I had a vision of some sorcerer wannabe destroying the link to the Deeper Well?"  Someone gasped and another laughed.  "People, I could do that now.  It's not that hard since he's pulling a Willow and substituting in his opening spell.  Yeah, like soon.  Which is why I had the vision.  Exactly," he said dryly.  "And then I got the flash of you guys talking to the idiot about his plans to clean out the impure demons on the hellmouth.  So, just stop it before I have to come back there, okay?"  He hung up.  "Can I blow up their building and not the rest of them?"

"No," the detectives and SWAT guy said.

"Pity," Ezra drawled.  "What did that math genius say?"

"He said it's highly likely that other realms would have other materials if they exist but he said they don't exist."  He gave them a look.  "So apparently he didn't want to realize it even when his brother got traumatized by the demons in thrall in Sunnydale."

"So, good thing, bad thing," Kevin said.  "Anyone else who could take this and learn it quickly?"

"Rodney.  I sent him a copy of the book when I found a newer edition.  I'm told he's happily making bombs to protect us all and the Air Force."

The SWAT guy nodded.  "McKay?  From that insane project by Standish?"  Xander grinned and nodded.  "Sure, they probably need it with what got leaked."

Ezra nodded.  "Definitely.  We were warned in case something happened that we'd be on the front lines of stopping it from getting out of their town."  He looked at the book again.  "This is far beyond what I know of chemistry."

"I never took chemistry, which is why it took me three tries even with the guided knowledge," Xander admitted.

"How many have you built?" Ezra asked casually.

"Four gas grenades of that sort, two other things, and three bigger things that're in the weapons storage area.  During that Xander convention, I brought that book with me because there are twin Xander's who design weapons and are ballistic CSI on their world.  They actually work with Taylor."

Esposito rubbed his forehead.  "That's a thought to give me a migraine, Xander."

"They're really nice and they went over how to make them.  Like the one that visited, they had time served in Africa helping slayers and villages.  Then they came home and started a weapons design firm while Giles made them go to college."

"I can only imagine the one that I know about is going insane in that world," Ezra said.

The SWAT guy looked at them.  "Huh?"

Xander grinned.  "There's a few more magical Xanders across all the realities and they wanted to have a multi-Xander convention.  There were over three hundred of us.  Including a few miniature ones and the one that's married to Agent Standish on his realm but is also the president."

"Of what?" the SWAT guy asked.

"The US," Ezra said.  The SWAT guy moaned and sat down.  "Apparently my team got called in on his guard detail."  He looked at Xander.  "It is very useful for you to hide this and only give it to the insane sort that protect us all from things that most people still want to believe are mythical."

"I wasn't about to tell anyone I was dating that I knew this sort of thing.  They'd want me for whole different reasons."

"Yup," the detectives agreed.  "A lot."  Xander shrugged.

"I'd like to look at those," Ezra said.

"Sure, I get that.  I'm surprised no one told Beckett I had added stuff."

"They might have," Kevin agreed.  "She's not talking.  We didn't tell her anything about this."

"That's probably a good idea.  There's no telling who has her phone tapped."  He looked at the SWAT guy.  "Those spiders were created by the same set of twin mes."

"That explains a whole lot," he said.  He stood up.  "Let's go look at the weapons, Harris.  It's nice that you basically put them into police custody."  Xander grinned. "But I need a lot of liquor right now."

"Sorry."

"No, don't be and keep hiding this."

"Peter?" Javier asked more quietly.

He considered it.  "If he's not going to tell his people, then that's fine as long as they're together for a good, long time."  Xander nodded.  "We sure?  I know you've been together longer than your past ones."  Xander subtly pointed at his hand.  "Oh!"  He nodded.  "Then yeah, go ahead and tell him so he can help you."

"We might need one to shut Sunnydale and that may be what causes the explosion," Xander admitted.

"Then we'll work that out," Standish said as he stood up.  "Let us go admire the handiwork you've done.  We'll talk to your mate later."  He took a picture of the formula then erased it.  Javier washed that area of the board and they left together.

***

Peter looked at the things that Esposito had given him a list about.  "I have talked to his financial person.  He wanted to make sure things were taken care of."

"Xander's fussy that way," Esposito agreed.  They were locked together on the porch.

"Is the rest of this related to the warehouse?"

"Slightly."

"Interesting to note.  I heard about convention from him."  He folded up the list.  "I should worry?"

"I doubt it but he thinks the explosion he saw was him having to use something he learned from the warehouse to stop the situation in Sunnydale."

Peter nodded once.  "Could happen if we're not careful.  Why are we talking about this now and why is he hiding?"

Esposito stared at him for a moment.  "Right now is because he pulled out something we didn't know he had.  With skills we didn't know he had."  That got a nod of understanding.  "Him hiding is because he's worried that he's disappointed you or something.  Xander actually has some pretty low self esteem at times.  Mostly due to Olivia's mom and Buffy from what we've heard."

"I have seen that."  He looked at the list.  "Does anyone else know of this?"

"Apparently McKay does.  After that signing trip Xander trusted him enough to let him have the demon chemistry book.  Xander said he gave it to him after the invasion battle."

Peter nodded.  "I know him barely but I know what he is doing is important."  He sighed and grimaced.  "I am not going to tell others."

"I didn't figure you were, which is why you're finding out."  Esposito grinned.  "That's also the weapons warehouse he puts things into from poker debts.  That's Beckett's job to monitor but with her out of the city on injury leave it's our duty."

"That is reasonable.  Are we thinking I should monitor him more?"

"No, but you might go have him tell you about things.  Maybe about those wills?  Or the weapons?  Or even things he's learned from the warehouse that he can share with you.  That way you're not left in the dark about things he does every day.  He's been scared to tell you because he thinks you might start thinking he's scary."

"He is but in a good way usually."  He shook his head.  "Thank you for letting me know I should go gently make him talk."

"He could use some talking time about Olivia and things too," he said more quietly.  "I haven't seen Xander this stressed out since right after the demonic attempt to get him killed off.  Back when they were shunning him for having outed demon kind."

"I thought I had helped."

"You've kept him from snapping.  I'm sure he's talked some, but I think you need to have one of those cuddled together talks that couples seem to get the big things out during."

The demon over the warehouse appeared, looking at Peter.  "You are more than acceptable to co-guardian this warehouse if you wish.  In the past, most spouses have been brought in to handle things because it is a big job that takes much time and effort from the relationship.  I would only do that if this is at least going to be long term, if not permanent."

Daniel opened the door.  "What do you want?"

"She's over the warehouse, Daniel," Esposito said with a hand wave.  "She's offering Peter co-guardianship duties."

"Xander could use the help.  He thinks he's falling down on the job by not going out to hunt things down."

"Most would bring things to him," the demon said.  She looked at Peter, who nodded.  She touched his head, taking him to the stone chamber.  He did as instructed by the walls and suddenly he knew.  The demon stared at him.  "Xander is more than all of this."

"This is amazing but I do not want him more or less because of this."

"Good!"  She took him back up to the patio.  "Here, he is entered."  She disappeared.

Esposito looked at him.  "Now you know why we're suggested a talk?"

"Indeed and it is... thrilling yet confusing and very mind crowding."  He shook his head to clear it.  "Thank you."  He went inside and upstairs, finding Xander reading on the bed.  He took the book and put it down, then laid down next to him.  "I was offered to help you with warehouse."

"I felt."  He snuggled in.  "It's an amazing place that freaks me out sometimes."

"Quite."  He petted his mate.  "You did not show me bigger weapons?"

"Beckett hates it when I go there for weapons petting time."

"I would like to see."  Xander looked at him.  "You have no reason to hide anything from me that is not personal or that I should not know.  I agree that some things I now know I should not have ever learned without the precaution."  Xander relaxed.  "But perhaps we should talk about other things.  Like what financial man told me and the wills?"

"What do you want to know about them.  I was waiting on you to bring it up."

Peter smiled.  "I thought it was trinkets and maybe some money."  Xander shook his head.  "Did you keep race car?"

"No.  It went to some guy in New Jersey who had a racing museum."

"Huh."  He gave him a squeeze.  "You grow more amazing to me every day," he said quietly.  Xander grinned and kissed him.

Shannon ran in and pounced them with a giggle.  "Hi!"

"Hi," they said, smiling at her.  She snuggled in and grunted with a point at the book.

"Ask," Xander said gently.  "Do you want read to?"  She nodded. He picked up a kid's book and read it to her.  It knocked her out.  They moved her to her bed and went back to their own to talk and cuddle.  Xander looked at him once the doors were shut.  "Are we having this talk because there's an upcoming apocalypse battle?"

"No, I find you fascinating in many strange ways," he teased with a smirk.  "Your mind is scary, dangerous, exciting place."  Xander blushed, ducking his head.  Peter pulled him down with him onto the bed.  "We should have talked about some of it sooner but I understand why we did not.  I should have asked and you should have bragged."  Xander kissed him.  Peter let him and then they cuddled in to really talk.  Including about the Olivia situation.  Daniel clearly wanted to take her back to LA but that would wreck them both.  They had to make plans.  It was much too quiet without her even on the days when they wanted some alone time.

***

Xander found Peter in the warehouse looking something over.  "Is that dangerous, deadly, or a weapon?"

"Is a weapon," he said, letting him see it.  "May work for the Sunnydale thing."

Xander grinned.  "If so that could create a lot less hell."

"Hopefully."  He took a kiss.  "Are we going to scout?"

"The whole town was given to demons when they shut it down.  Plus, if any of us show up there, they'll all know and we'll have ...issues.  Maybe not problems but perhaps some issues."

Peter nodded.  "That's reasonable.  We can scout by satellite maybe."

"I don't have access to those."

Peter smirked.  "I have people who owe me.  I can ask."  Xander grinned and nodded.  "When is that last auction going on?"

"Tomorrow.  I'm so glad they're done with."

Peter took a quick kiss.  "I am too.  That way bad past lovers are forgotten easier."  He winked and walked Xander off.  "New room appeared."

"Oh, no," he moaned.  "O'Neill's things?"

"I highly doubt it."  He showed him the new room and Xander stared.  "I believe they are meant to harm one during sex but I am not certain."

Xander walked in to look at one of the glowing in that white-hot way dildos.  "That's got blood on it."  Peter sighed.  "Taylor knows about all this though."  He called him.  "Detective Taylor, it's Xander.  The warehouse just made a new room of dangerous looking sex toys, one of which is burning the blood presently on it.  No idea where it came from.  Off to the right side past the office.  Thanks."  He hung up.  "We need the inventory to see if we can figure out where it came from."  They went looking for it in the office.  Which was a mess.  The trio from LA had left it a mess.  Someone walked in and sighed.  Xander looked out there.  "Did Mac Taylor send you?"

"Yup."

"This way."  He walked him to that room.  "I looked at that one," he said with a point.

"How did it get in here?"

"The warehouse usually brings it," he said with a shrug.  "It's been around for years.  Those just appeared today though."  Peter handed over the clipboard.  He looked.  "Under their entry," he said, touching it to expand it.  "It's from a local source.  It says Manhattan, New York."  He showed him.

"So things just...pop in here?"

Xander grinned.  "It's mystical and I'm the guardian of them with my mate, Peter."

"I see."  He moved over to look at them.  "Any idea how to turn them off?"

"Peter felt them being added I guess."  He looked it over.  "Switch on the end."  The guy gloved up and flipped it.

"Do we know you?" Peter asked when he heard the door open.

Xander walked out and looked.  "In here, Flack.  Peter, this is Detective Flack.  He helps Taylor whenever we have to coopt him for strange stuff and Faith thinks he's hot."

Peter smirked.  "She has nice taste but I do not need to know."

Flack grinned.  "I've heard he married a stand-up guy."  He shook his hand.  "Sex toys?"

"That one was burning hot and has blood on it."

"Huh."  He followed Xander back to the room.  "Damn."

"The index said it came from here," Xander said, taking the clipboard to show him.

Flack nodded, taking down the information.  A new one appeared, this one was zapping energy and had blood on it.  "Danny?"  He pointed.

"I saw."  He found the switch and carefully turned it off then bagged it.  "We're going to confiscate everything in here."

"Need a box?" Xander asked.

"I meant the warehouse."

Xander snickered.  "This building holds over seventy million mystical and non-mystical artifacts, Detective.  In here, they're made safe.  That way no one can use them."

"How do you know if anything else is evidence?"

"I've had it for a few years and I manage to check anything new."

"Mac had Adam in here for a bit helping when he was injured," Flack said.  "He and I have codes so we can come confiscate any weapons his former dates used to give him."

"I like weapons but I would give him new knife, not bombs or other higher things," Peter said from the doorway.  Xander beamed at him.  "I have heard of one in the CIA who gave nuclear warhead and his boss's reaction to that news."

"I remember that," Flack agreed.  "Freaked us out too.  That and the Patriot system that was wrapped in a giant gift box and had a tow bar so it looked like a parade float."

"Volvo with a howitzer," Xander added.  "I haven't checked down there recently."  He flipped the index, finding the weapons.  "Huh, Greg's back."  Flack looked and then groaned, going to find it.  He put it up again.  "Anyway," he told the detective with a smile.  "I'm handing these over so you can catch the sick fuck that was using them.  Another appeared.  "I'd hope we can stop them before they hurt anyone any more."  He looked up.  Then at the toy.  It had a more precise location but it was fading.  Danny called that in and got busy bagging the rest.  Flack came back up with the nice wooden crate.  Xander looked and grinned.  "Pretty."

"So's Peter," he joked with a grin back.

"Peter, look at what Greg sent as a wedding present."  Peter looked and moaned, taking the card to read over.  "Can that go into the weapons warehouse in case we need it?"

"Yup, sure can."  They got everything to the two cars and left.

"Thank you note writing?" Xander guessed.

"Yes, I can do that."  He grinned.

"Don't be mean to him."

"I will not.  But will send nice picture."  He took a kiss.  "Why do we have floating gondola above shelves?"

Xander looked at the inventory.  "It appears they're possessed."

"Ah.  Perhaps John would like pleasure of that."

"They've been in here for over a hundred years."

"Pity."  He took Xander out so they could go play with the kids.  Olivia was sulking in a chair.  "What has happened?"

"Daddy said we go to LA soon."

Xander hugged her.  "It'll be okay and you'll get to visit us."  She pouted worse.  "It'll be fine, Olivia.  He's your daddy."

"So?  Not leave you.  You'll be lonely."

"I think it's best if we move to LA," Daniel said.

Peter looked at him.  "Since when are your eyes black?"  Daniel lashed out but Peter was pretty good at self defense.

Xander tossed Olivia the phone.  "Get your siblings safe and call Grandpa."  She ran off to do that while he moved in to help contain and control Daniel.  The demon tried to jump into Peter but Xander had done the protections on him himself.  It headed for the stairs but Sam and Dean came off with shotguns and a gallon of blessed water.  Dean headed for the kids.  Sam helped with the exorcism.  Xander ran up to help Dean, taking his knife to cut his thumb and marking the kids with some blood while mumbling the protection spell.  Dean was trying to stop him but Dean was now possessed.  Xander knocked him out viciously and then got to work on his exorcism.  Sam came up to help, his eyes now blackened.  "Olivia, we could use Grandpa."

"He was gone too."

Xander muttered something and then released the curtain covering his hellmouth taint.  The demons screamed and Sam's fled.  Xander finished the exorcism on Dean.  "Find a number that says Father," he told her as he worked.  She knew how to find numbers in his phone, she did it all the time.

"Fath?"

"Yup."

She hit that button.  "It ringing."

"Hit the speaker."  She did.

"Diocese of New York, how may I direct your call?"

"I need Father William Morgan desperately for a problem," Xander said, struggling with Dean."

"I can't find an individual priest, sir."

"This is Xander Harris, it's a demon problem."

"Oh, him, yes.  Let me call him.  Where are you, sir?"

"Home.  Please?  Tell him to bring some holy water."

"I can do that."  She hung up and called the church he usually worked in.  There was a short list of priests in the city that got special call outs.  He topped the list.

Xander punched Dean and started over again.  "Dude," Sam complained.

"Holy water," he ordered with a point.  Dean bucked under him.  "Fucking supernatural strength," he muttered.

Peter heard the buzzer and pushed the button.  "Am a bit busy, what?"

"Is this a 'I should come back because he's naked' busy or otherwise?" Mickey asked.

"Could use your brother since they're demons possessing Winchesters."

"Okay," he decided.  "Give me a few minutes."  He called.  "I need my brother," he said in greeting to whoever answered.  "Kostmayer."  He listened.  "We need you at Xander's house.  Possessed demon hunters.  Thanks.  Bring whatever you need.  Uncle Peter sounded upset."  He hung up and called someone else.  "Tara?"  She growled and hung up.  "That's a bad sign."  He called the detectives.  "Are you guys possessed too?"  He smiled.  "Can someone make sure Tara isn't since Uncle Peter said the Winchesters were?  I've called mine, he's an Orthodox priest.  Thanks."  He hung up and waited.  He had the emergency code.  When his brother got there, he got them inside and upstairs.  Peter sighed in relief.  "What can we do to help?"

"Go help him tie up Dean.  The demon is not leaving him.  We are not sure about John or Tara yet."

"Okay," his nephew Nicholas agreed.  He got to work on the banishing he knew.  Peter got him the book he had found with various exorcism rituals.  "Thanks, Uncle Peter."  He found a good, heavy one and chanted it while sprinkling Daniel with water.  John came off the elevator, eyes glowing with blackness.  Mickey pounced him.  The demon fought back.  Peter got the elevator going to let Father Morgan in when he buzzed.

Father Morgan came off the elevator in fully fury of God mode.  "Begone!" he shouted.  The one in John fled.  The one in Daniel started to then moved back in.

"Dean," John said.

"Sit!" Father Morgan ordered.  He got the one out of Daniel.  He went upstairs, following the noise of fighting to depossess Dean.  "How many have you tried?"

"Six, including the ultra heavy one I usually use.  Mickey, come get the kids," he called.  "They're in the bathroom."  He came up to move them to Xander's room and guard them.  There was an emergency exit through there to the pool area, which led to the elevator or fire escape.  Xander sat back panting.  The demon tried to get up but Father Morgan was already working on that problem.  Dean arched up and screamed but the demon finally came out.

The father looked at Xander.  "Put back on whatever you did."  Xander redid the necklace.  "What is that unholiness?"

"Hellmouth taint," he said dryly.  "I was born next to the damn thing."

"That figures with the way things go around you.  Did they have plans?"

"One growled Tara's name.  She's two months pregnant."

"I will check on her."

"I did a blood binding on the kids.  They're all magically active and Shannon's an active slayer."

"Thank God they didn't get the children," he sighed, helping Xander up.  "Dean?"

"Ow."

"Come.  You will drink holy water for me," Father Morgan ordered.  They helped Dean up and downstairs.  "Father...."

"Kostmayer.  Peter's my uncle," he said.

"I'm Father Morgan."  He shook his hand with a smile.  "Thank you for the assist."

"I've never seen demons this strong."

"We have," John admitted quietly.

"Did they have a plan?" Xander asked.  "One of them moaned Tara's name."

"They definitely want the baby but otherwise I didn't get anything," John sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I didn't either," Daniel admitted.

Dean nodded.  "They were going to take the kids."  He drank the holy water Father Morgan made, handing some to the others.  "Sammy?"

Sam hummed, looking up.  "They can't touch Shannon but they want the other two."

Xander shook his head.  "I did a blood marking on them just now.  It'll last for a few days."

"Is there any way to protect them?" Daniel asked.

"Put them in the warehouse," Xander and Father Morgan said.

"No," Daniel said.  "The demons wanted them in LA."

"That's because they're planning on destroying most of the west coast and if they're possessing the kids, no one's going to stop them," Dean said quietly.  "Because even the most cold-blooded hunter wouldn't shoot the kids."

Xander nodded.  "That makes sense while making my stomach turn.  Mickey has them by the pool."  Father Morgan went to check them and bring them back inside.  He looked at Daniel.

"We're staying for a bit.  I got a job with my cousin at the bar."

"That's cool.  We still want visitation."

"It'll be weeks before I can afford our own place anyway, Xander."  He nodded at that.  "When on the LA thing?"

"Within months."

"The homeland agent who used to arrest his dates has the notes from his vision," John said.  "He asked me about a few things they could do if they had to go to Sunnydale."

"There's supposed to be honor guards on the hellmouth," Xander said.

"I took him to the local Council to see what they've done.  They hated that vision too."

"LA's Council didn't see a problem with it until the point where they all died because he was pulling a Willow and substituting."

"Half the council out there is militant, retake the world for the demons sorts," Sam said.  "The other half are the remains of the original colonies, who are mostly Spanish and Mexican in origin, and don't like that idea even though they'd own it again anyway."

"Two elected upstarts that never get listened to anyway," Dean added.

Olivia stomped in and to her Uncle Xander.  "Why did the demon hurt Daddy?" she demanded.

"Because he wanted to take you and your siblings to help him with a plan."

She growled.  "I'd kick them on the ankle!"

"We'd let Father Morgan banish them and then you can kick them."  He cuddled her.  "We're stopping them."

"Good!"  She looked at the nice priest then her new uncle priest.  "Can you help him stop them?"

"Of course we can," Father Morgan agreed.

Daniel moaned and held his head.  "It's normal to get flashes," John soothed, patting him.  Daniel shoved him off.  "Father?"

"He's not tainted."

"How did they know about the kids?" Xander asked.

Father Morgan looked at him.  "They might've known about Olivia having siblings but not that they had magic.  Or about the one's gifts."

"We told the locals," Dean reminded him.

"New York's Council wouldn't ever hurt Olivia," Xander said.

"No, they wouldn't."

"Especially not with Tara's early mood swings," Sam agreed.

"That's Willow's influence.  The coven called me to help them weed out that spell," Father Morgan said.  "She was projecting."  Xander sighed, shaking his head and cuddling the kids better.  Shannon ran over to Daniel and John had to stop him from grabbing a knife.  "I think we need more intense work on you," he said quietly.  "Come along, Daniel.  It's time to beard the demon's remains in your den."  He helped him up.  "Olivia, I'll bring your father back in about a week."  She smiled and nodded.  "I'll make sure he's all right."

"Thank you."  She hugged him then her father.  "He makes bad demons go away."  Daniel hugged them all quickly and he left with Father Kostmayer.

Peter leaned down to kiss Xander.  "We are excellent kidsitters."

Xander smiled.  "We are."  He hugged all the kids.  "Sam, read to them?"

"Yup."  He pulled them over to read to them.  The kids were amazed by his reading ability.  Dean, John, Xander, and Peter made plans of what to do during the next attack.  Mickey relaxed and finished his mental swearing at the stupid demons.  They had to be truly stupid to take on a Winchester, Xander, or Olivia.

***

Tara got freed and burst out sobbing on the priests.  "I don't want them to hurt the baby."

Father Morgan patted her awkwardly.  "I doubt it did.  Your coven can help."  She nodded, calling them.  "Let me get Daniel somewhere safer so we can finish getting the demon's taint out."  He left, leaving her to have a mood swing.

Tara sniffled into the phone.  "Claudia, it's Tara.  I got possessed.  They wanted Daniel's kids."  She sniffled again.  "I am now.  Father Morgan did.  No, but the baby.  No, mine," she said.  "I can do that.  I've got today off anyway.  Be right there."  She hung up and hurried around to pick up the dog and put on her shoes and jacket.

***

Xander looked up as Tara came off the elevator.  "You okay?"

"They're not sure about the baby."

"They can do an ultrasound soon," Peter told her.  "If it has horns or other obvious signs we'll realize."  She pinched him on the arm but got some water and came back to sit and cuddle the babies.   "Shannon, will you pet the aunt's belly?"

Shannon patted, looking up.  Tara smiled.  "Does it feel strange?  That's a new cousin."

Shannon cooed and leaned over to kiss her stomach then grinned at her.  "Hi."

"Hi."  She hugged her.  "You tell me if the baby feels strange, okay?"  Shannon cuddled her.  She pulled over a book to read to them.  Olivia was napping on Mickey.  Brad crawled over to get read to too.  "I need to do more story hours."

"Any precautions about holy water exposure?"

"Try not to just in case."

"Okay, we'll handle that," Dean agreed from his seat.

Xander's phone beeped.  He grabbed it and looked.  "Beckett's back and I promised dinner."  He looked around.  They all shrugged.  "Okay.  Peter, want to help me shop?"

"Of course.  Mickey?"

"I can stay in case the demons come back."  Peter smiled and they left together.  "They're going to make out in the car."

Tara giggled.  "Possibly, yes.  They're newlyweds though."  She went back to reading.  "Is she all right?"

"Stressed herself to the point of a nap," Mickey said.  "Her father kept some taint."

"They can fix that," Tara said.  "Father Morgan was talking to the head of my coven when they were checking me over."

"That's good."  He stroked over Olivia's hair, waking her up.  She looked around.  "They're grocery shopping because Detective Beckett is back in town and you're having dinner with her tonight," he said quietly.

"Auntie Kate," Tara told her.

"Oooh.  Is she better?"  She sat up to look at them.

"She's fine."  Tara smiled.  "That's why you're having dinner tonight."

Olivia beamed.  "Good."  She got up and went to look in the cabinets.  "We need veggies."

"Peter went with Xander," Tara said.

"Good, he'll get veggies even if Uncle Xander avoids it."  She walked back out and hugged her auntie.  "Is that sister all right?"

"I hope so."

"Good!"  She hugged her around the stomach.  "Hi, baby sister."  She sat down to let the auntie read to her too.

Tara smiled, picking out another book.  It'd be okay, even if she had to make a wish or something.

***

Kate walked into the loft that night, looking around.  "You guys all look tired.  We could've done this tomorrow."

"We need the happies anyway," Tara said.

"Did something happen?"

"Stupid demons wanted my brother," Olivia said.  "They possessed nearly everyone, even Daddy.  The nice, mean priest has Daddy for a week to make sure he's okay."

Kate hugged her.  "That's a good thing, Olivia."  Olivia smiled at her, trying to look at her scar.  "I don't think you need to look down my shirt.  You'll have your own breasts some day."

Xander snapped his fingers and got up to get something, handing it over on his way to the kitchen.  "The other guys?"

"Coming in a few."

"That's cool.  Any idea if the new Captain is going to do more things to make herself popular with the higher ups?"

"Not yet," Kate admitted.  The other two kids were staring at her.  "I'm Aunt Kate, guys.  I've known Olivia since she came back with Uncle Xander."

Shannon stared at her then grinned.  "Hi."

"Hi, princess."  She hugged her too.  She waved at the other one.  "Hi, Brad."  He grinned and crawled over to cuddle.  "That's very sweet of you.  Thank you."  Shannon pounced so she cuddled her too.  Olivia beamed at her and went to help her uncle cook.

The two detectives and Castle came off the elevator.  "Xander, hopefully you have real food since I'm starved," Kevin said.  "Jenny's off with her girls tonight so it's you or bar food."

"Peter made sure we got veggies and I started a roast.  I'm hoping it's good."  He grinned.  "It'll take about a half hour though so come make nibbling things."  He and Mickey came to do that.  Olivia helped them since it was veggies and she adored her veggies.

Olivia brought veggies over to her siblings, sitting in front of them.  "This is a carrot," she said, holding it up.  "It's nummy and crunchy."  She let them eat one while she did.  They grinned.  She held up the next one.  "This is a green pepper.  It's kind of watery but nice.  It's great to nibble on when you need something to chew on because your teeth hurt."  They ate one.  She handed over pieces of cherry tomatoes.  "These are tomatoes.  They're really good."  They gummed them and Shannon took a second one with a grin.  Olivia beamed at her.  "I like them too."  She handed over the others, telling them about them.

Xander grinned at Peter.  "She's very wise," he said quietly.

Javier smiled.  "If I ever have kids, I want one like her too."

"Jenny still says that if we have kids they'd better be like Olivia."

Kate smiled at her partners and minions.  "Ditto."  They grinned back.  "Maybe some decade."

Rick grinned.  "She's going to grow up as wise as Alexis is."  He sat down with them.  "Hey, guys."  They smiled and waved at him.  "Olivia, have you introduced them to mushrooms?"

"That's really a big thing and I haven't bought any recently," Xander said.

"Ah."  He hugged them all.  "You're doing great with helping them learn stuff, sweetheart."

She smiled.  "Can you help me with my writing?"

"Sure.  Go get the paper and stuff you need."  She got up to do that.  Shannon and Brad got the rest of the veggies to nibble on.  Xander handed him little tubes of yogurt for them too.  "I wish Alexis had those.  They're handy."  Olivia sat down next to him.  "Ah, numbers."

She nodded.  "They're not as pretty as letters."

"Go potty," Peter said.  She squealed and hopped up to do that.  He smiled at Rick.  "She's going to learn math next month."

"She's doing great with her learning and I'm sure she's helping them a lot too."

"She's been good helping them," Xander agreed.  Tara smiled and nodded.  "Kate, put some of that on the scar, let it soak in, and it'll quit pulling."

"I figured as much."

"That's specific for scars.  I got it for the bite marks."

She read it then looked at him.  "You have bite marks?"  Peter nodded.  "Huh."  She got up to do that in the sauna.  Olivia was hogging the bathroom for the next ten minutes for her reading habit.  When she came out, Olivia had given up reading to have Rick help her.  She sat down.  "Thanks."

"Welcome."  He smirked.  Then at the minions.  "She called the Mayor to tell me not to come back to help you guys.  The mayor told her I was very helpful when needed."

"We have a cult case on another desk," Kevin said.  "I was going to suggest to him that he call you."  Xander nodded.  Javier handed over an envelope.

Xander read it over.  "I wrote this."  He went to get that book and handed it over.

Javier looked and called that detective.  "I talked to Xander for you.  He wrote some of that into a story.  There's a book that describes everything.  At his place.  We're having a welcome back dinner for Beckett.  Sure, I can do that."  He hung up and went back down to wait by the door.

Olivia flinched at the alarm going.  "That's the bad noise!"

Xander and Peter were already moving to the elevator.  They found someone down there attacking Javier.  Xander shot them in the leg.  "You needed what with Detective Esposito?"  The man moaned and held his leg.  "That's what I thought you'd say."  Peter was calling someone.

Javier stood up, rubbing his chest.  "He kicked me in the chest before I saw him."

"Sometimes the idiots are stupider than usual," Xander quipped, checking him over.  "Go get an ice pack."  He shook his head.  Cop cars showed up.  "Hi, guys."

"Xander," one said.  "This one attack you?"  Xander pointed at Javier.  "Detective."

"We're having a welcome back dinner for Beckett.  I'm waiting on Howards.  He kicked me in the chest then attacked me.  Xander got his leg for me."

"Okay," the officer agreed.  They got him sent to the ER and took Xander's gun for ballistics.  Then Howards showed up and grabbed the book.  Xander moved to show him the right section.  The detective nodded.

"He can be in tomorrow if you want," Javier said.

"I can do that.  Thanks, Harris."

"Not a problem.  You guys know that."

He nodded and left.  The officers left too.  Xander hit the alarm button to turn it off.  Peter hit it again.  Xander grinned.  "Olivia and the kids do not need the stress," Peter said.  He looked at Javier.  "Ice pack?"

"And some advil if I can bum some."  They came up together.  "Remember the guard of the drug dealer scum from the other warehouse?"  Beckett moaned.  "Kicked me in the chest."  Tara handed over the wrapped ice pack.  Xander got into the storage closet of emergency things, handing over a packet of advil.  "Thanks, guys."  He took them and sat down.  Brad crawled over and stared at him until Castle helped him up into Javier's lap.  Then Brad pounced him to cuddle and coo at.  "Thanks, little guy.  You're making me feel much better.  Nearly as much as the ice pack is."  He cuddled him with a grin.  Brad grinned back and snuggled in to cuddle him.

"He's very good at that," Olivia said with a grin for him.  "Bad booboos?"

"No, just a bruise, sweetie."

"Okay."  She went back to learning new things.  Tara was teaching Shannon a new word.  Shannon was babbling at her with a happy smile.  "Some day soon they'll be like me," she told Rick.

"Some day soon," he agreed, petting over her hair.  "Then you and Shannon can start school together."

"When she's older I'll have them test her," Xander said.  "Her listing says she has siblings for future testing.  The headmistress was very understanding when I called her the day after they got here.  She said they can test the same time Olivia will be to make sure she can get in."  Olivia looked at him.  "You'll have to show the school that you can do the things they need you able to do so you can go there.  It's not hard and you're doing a lot of it already."  She smiled and went back to her writing.  Xander grinned at Rick.

"How are the people in the computer?" Olivia called.

"They're fine, dear.  You can tape something for them tomorrow."

"That's good.  Maybe I'll show them how we teach Shannon to chase me.  It's cute and they'd like that."

"Also, we have to figure out what you're donating when the Mayor wants you to."

"Toys?" she said.

"Or books or clothes."

"Oooh.  Mine?"

"No.  Not this time.  We'll do that during the toy drive that the Marines do."

"Okay."  She went back to writing, looking at Rick.  "Can Alexis help us pick things out?"

"If she wants.  I'll ask her later.  She's out with her grandmother."

"That's good.  She needs happy times with bigger girls so she knows what to do with her boyfriend.  Some day I'll need that too."  She looked at Tara.

"We'll be talking about that when you're older," Tara assured her with a smile.  Olivia beamed back and got back to her writing, wiggling a little bit.

Kate got up.  "Can I help?"

"Nope, because I doubt you can lift the roasts out," Xander quipped.  "Mickey?"  He came over to do that.  Mickey moaned and Peter moved to help.

"Is that half a cow?" she asked, staring at it.

"It was expensive enough to be but it's supposed to be really tender," Xander said.  He grinned.  "We'll see if I followed the directions well enough."  They nodded, letting Kate carve the meat.  Xander and Peter handed over the other pans of veggies and things.  They got what they wanted and Olivia turned on the music channel.  Peter turned it down and changed it to the light rock station.  Shannon squealed and got up to 'dance'.  Brad was wiggling and squealing too.  Everyone got happy with the kids being happy, Beckett being back, and things settling down again.

The End.


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